E. coli now stalks the nursery
E. coli (K88) scours have taken their toll on nursery pigs in Ontario over the last year, and it's getting worse.The same E. coli that has traditionally caused massive scouring in newborn pigs has now shifted its target and is attacking pigs two to three weeks after placement in the nursery. Most of these outbreaks have occurred in SEW nurseries, but traditional, continuous-flow, farrow-to-finish and farrow-to-wean herds have also been affected.
E. coli typically occurs in the co-mingled SEW systems. The pigs are early-weaned and co-mingled into SEW, off-site nurseries. About two weeks post-placement, scours break out in the nursery. Pigs dehydrate and mortality increases.
As would be expected, growth retardation becomes part of the picture and pigs become uneven. There is usually good response to antibiotic treatment (apralan, neomycin) but successive groups of pigs continue to break with scours after placement. Treatment becomes a recurrent and unwelcome phenomenon in these operations.
A similar picture has been unfolding in Quebec so far, apparently not to the same extent. But reports of outbreaks are increasing. Once again, it is more commonly seen in the co-mingled SEW systems, two to three weeks post-placement. So far, there have been reports of similar occurrences from only a very few systems in Manitoba.
A similar phenomenon is occurring in the U.S., with a twist. E. coli outbreaks are also occurring about two weeks post-placement in the U.S. SEW systems, but these are not usually scour cases. Rather, they are sudden death occurring two to three weeks after placement (see Pork Producer, Winter 1997/98 vol. 5, pg 6). The E. coli breaks in the U.S. systems have been edema disease (gut edema) cases (F18 E. coli).
Treatment and control
Treatment so far consists of antibiotic and general supportive therapies such as electrolytes and vitamins. In cases with repeated outbreaks, therapy is instituted several days beforehand to circumvent the occurrence of the diarrhea.The other area that is currently being investigated is the development of oral vaccines for these E. coli strains. It seems evident that the piglets are protected by their mother's colostrum and milk, but soon after weaning the remaining lactogenic immunity disappears and the piglets become susceptible to the E. coli.
The goal of the proposed vaccines is to vaccinate piglets orally at one to two weeks of age and have them mount their own active immunity against the pilus and thus prevent colonization by the E. coli bacterium. Another strategy of the proposed vaccination programs is to make a vaccine against the E. coli toxin and then vaccinate the suckling piglets against the toxin.
Either way, the aim is to prepare the piglets better to be able to ward off the attack by the bacterium and prevent the outbreak of scours.
S. Ernest Sanford, DVM, is a swine specialist with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (Canada)
Are we ODing on drugs?
The days may be numbered for the practice of feeding antibiotics to promote pig growth.Nervousness about antibiotic resistance in humans has prompted the European Commission to call for a review of the use of antibiotics in feed, reports Feedstuffs magazine.
A resolution passed mid-May called for regulators to employ strict scientific standards on the use of antibiotics in feed when determining whether they pose a health risk to humans. Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler vowed to investigate the issue, and limited approvals of new feed antibiotics to 10 years.
Feedstuffs also reports that in the U.S., the Animal Health Institute, representing drug manufacturers, has pledged to review the question of feed antibiotics, and develop guidelines for safe use of antibiotics on the farm. An independent Georgetown University study on risk assessment is due by year's end.
Despite a recent U.K. study recommending a ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters, the British industry continues to support the practice. Food processor official Mick Hazzledine said in a recent Farmers Weekly article that a ban would cost producers 40 pence (about C$1) per finished pig, due to lower feed conversion.
"It's simply not an option," echoed Tesco pig specialist Chris Challinor.
The British veterinarian association, however, said it would support a ban if there was sound scientific evidence that the practice led to anti-bacterial resistance. Others urged consumer education, to head off "the hysteria that surrounded BSE."
Individual states, such as Sweden, have already banned antibiotics as growth promoters in pig rations, and Denmark expects to have a ban in place by 2002.
Proponents of a ban face a dilemma in the U.K., however, with a new antibiotic released recently by Roche, which has reduced nitrate content of finisher pig manure by 40 per cent and ammonia emissions by 60 per cent.
The drug, salinomycin, under the name Bio-Cox 120G, appears to increase pigs' nitrogen utilization; British agriculture ministry trials recorded an 11-per cent retention of N in feeding pigs. Unrelated to other products in human or veterinary medicine, salinomycin's mode of action actually appears to limit resistance development. - Files from Norman Dunn
Producers struck by strike
The bitter strike at the Maple Leaf pork packing plant in Burlington last winter ended in March, but the aftershocks are still being felt. The Ontario pork board recently pegged the damage to Ontario producers at $12.8 million - $2,100 per producer - in lost revenue.The numbers don't include extra producer costs in marketing, transportation and shrink, as animals had to be shipped to other packers in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S. "The Maple Leaf Foods Inc. strike affected the entire pork supply chain," said Ontario Pork chairman Will Nap.
Wean-to-finish under one roof
The current building rage in the U.S. is "wean-finish" barns. These are basically finisher barns that now house weaned pigs from 12 to 21 days right through to market weight.Early attempts to build these units new included use of some plastic slat floor at the front part of the pen and standard concrete slats at the back. Converted finisher structures included partial slat (a good fit) and full-slat barns without floor modifications.
Wean-finish buildings are a new approach to pig production that relies on improved performance and lower labour costs to justify the higher capital costs. Whether the final results work economically depends not only on a good system design - particularly the heating and ventilation system - but also overall management. These buildings have high labour requirements for the start of the crop, then reduce to the standard one to two hours per day. If this regime does not work into everyone's schedule, performance will suffer.
The major issues in these buildings include:
* Capital cost of the wasted spaceCapital costs* Ventilation and heating requirements to meet the widely varying needs of young pigs in cold weather to market pigs in hot weather
* Other physical parameters to ensure adequate pig performance levels, such as waterers, flooring, feeders, stocking density, penning, and the location of each component.
Capital costs are higher for wean-finish. There are only two turns per year for space that will cost at least as much as a standard, good-quality finisher barn. Typical three-site turns should be around three to 3.2 per year.Does the capital pay? Unfortunately, there's no clear answer yet. Response from operators of both systems indicates they are happy with pig performance, and lower labour to move pigs and wash buildings between crops.
Integrators and large-scale operations have investigated the trend as well. About one-half have initiated at least partial two-site.
Others stayed with three-site partly because they select growers to suit nursery or finisher pigs. For example, a part-time producer would likely not be allowed nursery pigs due to the conflicts in labour, especially at the start of the crop.
They also have a large commitment to a system providing good production figures, in part due to the specific designs for the various pig densities and the training programs for the nursery and finisher growers.
Ventilation & heating
The current standard has been to provide forced-air heat from direct-fired heaters as is typical in finisher barns, but heating to about 85 F instead of 72 to 74 at the start of the crop. One or two electric 175-watt IR-PAR heat lamps are located at the front of each pen for some supplemental radiant heat.Two other systems are making rapid gains due to improved performance and lower operating costs: open flame radiant brooders, common in the broiler and turkey buildings; and infra-red tube heaters, common in nurseries and broiler buildings. The infra-red systems tend to be easier to manage and have lower operating costs.
Many U.S. buildings have dual ventilation in wean-finish, although some have 100-per cent fans. In either case, pit tubes are used almost universally, and the ventilation system at the first two stages must be carefully designed and managed to achieve optimum results. Many producers have experienced excess relative humidity and poor air quality due to a poorly designed system.
Other parameters
Current wisdom indicates that a standard full-slat building design is acceptable; pigs learn quickly to walk down the solid section of the slatted floor. Of course, accidents happen, but at the early age there are usually few leg injuries.Lying mats are a necessity for full-slat barns to provide a creep feed (first few days) and sleeping location (first few weeks). Feeders need to be supplemented with additional creep feeders, usually slung over the pen front. Waterers designed for young pigs, suspended on chains, or cup drinkers, located in the pens at the middle or close to the front and adjusted regularly, complete the feed picture.
Unlike Canadian buildings with more solid penning, U.S. buildings tend to have steel penning and gating with modified bar spacing to prevent the pig's head getting stuck. Unfortunately, standard sizes for finishers guarantee many heads will be stuck.
Ron MacDonald is an agricultural engineer with Agviro, Inc., in Guelph
Lawyer for free?
The old lawyer's adage that advice is worth what you pay for it doesn't apply when American pork producers turn to Greg Andrews, an environmental lawyer in Grimes, Iowa. There's no charge when producers call him at Pork Producers Environmental Law Education Network.In 1993, when it was first launched as a joint venture of the Drake Law School and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the Network received over 500 calls for help. "In the beginning of this issue there was a lot of feeling that it was incredible, that it was too unbelievable to be true, that a neighbour could sue you because your hogs were making an odour," recalls Andrews.
Since then, however, there's been so much publicity that producers have almost grown used to nuisance suits, the most common legal challenge they face, says Andrews, who advises producers on how to deal with their neighbours and on environmental laws.
Similar to Canadian producers' experience, Andrews finds that regulations change so quickly he finds it hard to keep up with each state.
His role with producers is limited, "not to actually take their side in an issue but to inform them as to the things they need to know. I never go to court for anyone. I don't write letters," he stresses.
He frequently refers farmers on the wrong end of a suit to a private lawyer who specializes in agriculture, usually someone who belongs to the 2,000-member American Agricultural Law Association.
"A lot of times if you just go to a lawyer they don't understand what farrowing is, or the difference between a feeder pig and a sow. Your chances of finding someone who does if you just get out the phone book are relatively limited," he observes.
Andrews recalls that when he began, an environmental dispute usually involved just a farmer and his neighbour. "Now there's a whole neighbourhood group. The opposition is a lot more organized."
He attributes this increasing awareness to growing Internet usage, which helps hog farm opponents share strategies. He also cites an increasingly negative view of the hog industry.
"Relatively small operations are proposed, and the neighbours are frightened," he says, citing a letter that has just arrived on his fax machine. It's being circulated by opponents of a proposed 3,600-pig unit referred to in the letter as "a giant hog lot."
The neighbours have held their first meeting at the home of a local couple and are attempting to drum up support by warning of: "devaluation of your property, negative impact on tax base, environmental risk, bad stench, impact on small farmers, health risk, quality of life, potential cleanup costs for county taxpayers, potential road damage and aesthetics."
Most states have right-to-farm legislation intended to protect farmers from neighbours' complaints about odour. Many farmers call Andrews to find out whether the neighbour can still sue when the legislation is in place.
"The answer is 'Yes, they can,' but they shouldn't win," he responds. Even though neighbours usually lose, farmers rarely recover the high cost of defending themselves, he says.
There are probably more than 100 nuisance suits against American farmers at any one time, Andrews estimates: "Ten years ago there would be a handful." - Robert Irwin
Friendly Manitoba
With a large land base and processing overcapacity, Manitoba is busy wooing pork producers who have worn out their welcome elsewhere
By Robert Irwin
"In Manitoba, pigs can fly." At least that's the claim on the colourful brochure the province's Pork Information Alliance (PIA) has been handing out at trade shows around the world to entice pork industry there.Pigs may have to do more than fly if their owners are to survive predicted U.S. overproduction over the next two years. But Manitoba Agriculture's Bob Ward, who mans the traveling promotion booth with swine specialist Michael Yacentiuk, cites a study by University of Guelph economist Larry Martin (see Winni-pig) showing that odds for success are best in Manitoba.
"We have processing capacity for about eight million hogs, and we produce four, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what has to be happening," Ward explains. His processing number includes Maple Leaf's planned plant at Brandon.
He admits "we'll feel a lot better once we can see the building," but maintains "there's nothing to suggest at this point in time that there's any hesitancy."
His handouts show that every 1,000 hogs produced and finished in Manitoba create four full-time jobs. Furthermore, the producer invests $180,000 in capital and spends $150,000 in the community for feed, veterinary supplies, utilities, labour and taxes.
Last year, Manitoba producers spent about $60 million on new barns.
PIA, with funding by Manitoba Pork, banks, breeders and packers, began its world tour with a spring trade mission to Asia in 1996. It has returned there several times and visited South America.
Ward says there was a good response from a trip to Holland, where farmers are reeling from disease and government restrictions. At a recent stint at World Pork Expo at Des Moines, Iowa, several refugees from U.S. environmental legislation appeared more concerned with Manitoba's low winter temperatures than low pork prices.
Ward says a large Quebec pig operation will probably set up in Manitoba this year: "They look at the constraints in their own province and see opportunities in Manitoba. The economics of producing pork there are very favourable. Plus we have a political and social environment that's perhaps more receptive to the industry than other jurisdictions," Ward explains.
But not at the cost of the environment or of the welfare of the populous. He says not every part of the province "has its arms wide open" for pork.
"Pigs stink, no matter how you cut it," he says, adding the province has regulations controlling manure handling. "It's not an invitation to come and do as you wish. It's an invitation to come and exercise responsible practices within an environmentally sensitive framework."
Those who do take the plunge are protected by right-to-farm legislation, which Ward says will prevent a homeowner from locating in an agricultural area near a hog business and then complaining about odour. Local municipalities decide whether or not a hog farm is welcome, however.
Pigs are financial centrepiece
And for the producer, feed-usage and inventory plans are key to profitabilityThe pig has been an amazing animal over the years. Many jokes and slang terms have been used to describe the pig and its habits - the fat pig, piggin' out, dirty as a pig, this little piggy went to market, a pig in a poke, hog wash, to name a few.
Farmers have referred to pigs from an economic perspective as mortgage burners and mortgage lifters. I have even heard farmers say that pigs will drag you into the mud, but if you hang on to their tails long enough they'll drag you back up to high ground.
With the changes happening in the pig business in the 1990s, the pig is now having trouble keeping everyone happy from a profit perspective. New loops or networks have been developed, especially in the U.S., that are struggling to split the profit from the pig into many different pieces. The investors - packers, packer employees, sow farmers, nursery farmers and finishing farmers - are all involved in a major tug of war to see who ends up standing and who takes a tumble. Who will pull the hardest? The final chapter of the history book will probably be written in the next few months.
Meanwhile, it's worth remembering the unique success story of the Ontario pig industry. Most pork production in Ontario is owned by independent farmers who produce pork farrow-to-finish using single-, two- or three-site production systems. A lot of farms are land-based using hog manure as a resource.
Canadian pigs from Ontario are known worldwide for their quality. Forward-thinking, dedicated breeding stock producers have produced and continue to produce what the market wants. The excellent grading system that the Canadian pork industry implemented years ago to produce unique quality has paid off in good export demands for Ontario's product. Strict health regulations in Canada help protect our high-quality pigs from diseases that would destroy our export markets if unleashed.
Canadians are known worldwide as environmentally friendly, polite, peaceful people who provide what they say when customers ask. And Ontario packing companies have done their part by providing consistent, high-quality cuts customized toexport customers' needs.
We are still small and flexible enough to respond in this manner, similar to some of our competitors in Europe. Ontario pigs can compete on the world market with hard work from all segments of the pork industry.
For producers to stay competitive, however, helping our poor pigs keep everyone happy, now's the time to set up targets for feed usage with resulting costs. For targeted feed usage and costs per pig produced, based on typical, well-managed Ontario farrow-to-finish operations, see Rationing the Ration.
It's also important to plan feed inventories for the coming year. Commodity prices are expected to be highly weather-sensitive for the next few weeks, and opportunities may exist to lock in supply at a workable price. For targeted dry corn, soybean meal, premix, Lacta-Fat and compete pre-starter feeds required per 100 sows farrow to finish, see Bulk Buying, overleaf.
Ontario's competition for export markets will continue to be global. Our domestic market wants environmentally produced, high-quality pork. Ontario pork producers want to produce and have a history of producing this pork in this way.
Comparing Ontario to the U.S. is interesting and necessary, but low-cost, volume-commodity production is not the only way to gain market share. Canadians know that high quality, value-added, unique products also work. Our pork industry has been doing it for years.
Ken Palen is a livestock specialist with Kenpal Farm Products