LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Gener Romeu Rotecna’s President Dear Reader, Union. From the point of view of the porcine industry, the only country which should really concern us for the For most of the big European pig-farming countries such moment is Poland. as Germany, Holland, Denmark, France and Spain, 2003 has not exactly been a good year. The low prices paid for Poland occupies third place in the list of producers in the animals, combined with the increase in the cost of raw Union, and is ninth in the world ranking. Its annual pro- materials like cereals, led to below-cost pig-breeding. duction of pork is 2 million tonnes, which places it in a good position, though it will have to modify many On the international scene, several countries look like aspects of its infrastructure to satisfy the many require- becoming big producers in the future. One which stands ments of European Union legislation. Indeed, it is our out is Brazil, a country has for a long time been striving experience in such aspects that gives us the lead in this to improve its porcine sector, although experts now say obstacle race. that the bulk of its exports to Russia will decrease. In this Finally, we would also like to highlight the article on the edition of RotecnaWorld, we have put the spotlight on Smithfield Foods, Inc. giant, which has set up a highly this country to find out about the challenges it faces futuristic project consisting of the conversion of slurries and the characteristics of its pig-farming facilities. into biodiesel. This is one more way of dealing with an With regard to Europe, the key development in 2004 will environmental problem which is of concern to any be the incorporation of new countries in the European region of the world where pigs are bred. Gener Romeu Guàrdia SUMMARY 4 6 10 12 14 16 18 ROTECNA WORLD 5 MAY 2004 ISSN: L-156-01 DESIGN: EDITION: ANIMAL SCIENCE EDITORIAL STAFF: Montse Guerrero ROTECNA, s.a. RESEARCH DEPARTMENT: Montse Palau PRINT: Maria Devant Imprenta Barnola Rotecna World’s editors accept no liability for contributors’ opinion 3 ROTECNANEWS When a company wants to open up to Our sales figures are very healthy in developing countries, for example the international market, it has to do in Asia, where it is not difficult to find pigs eating from our feeders or some thorough groundwork. We only walking on Rotecna slats. This market has provided us with a great work with dealers around the world who opportunity to expand our business in this emerging part of the world, can offer us their experience and expert on which many companies have set their sights because of the great knowledge of each particular pig market. business opportunities it offers. our It is thanks to this that Rotecna’s pro- ducts have been installed in more than The valuable work of our International Sales Department, headed by 50 countries all over the world. Our first the General Manager of Rotecna, S.A., relies on the visits our managers international sale was in France, and we pay to customers. We also keep in touch with developments in the pig later launched our products in Denmark, market through our presence at the main world trade fair events, such gradually building up to the current as World Pork Expo, Viv Europe, Viv Asia, Eurotier or Expoaviga, in exports map, which goes from east to inter- Barcelona. west and from north to south. After years of success on the international market, our next step is to Since our first international sale, many defend our current share and, naturally, to increase it with the adhe- things have changed in the pig sector, sion of East European countries such as Poland - which has an impor- and obviously, in our own company. The tant pig livestock - and in Asia, without forgetting consolidation in the effort to add to our catalogue, the most national main and historical markets in Europe and America. wide-ranging on the market, never stops, as we strive to satisfy the product requi- our next step is to defend our current share and rements of all our customers, whether to increase it. they are in Germany, Australia or the presence entire American continent. The variety of work practices on farms around the As the recognised number 1 world brand in porcine innovation, one of world gives us the opportunity of develo- Rotecna’s greatest achievements in the international pig market has been to offer our customers innovation and quality, maximizing the When ROTECNA, S.A. was founded in 1991, one of its first ping a product for each need. relationship between quality and price. challenges was to export its products to wherever they could be useful. This international outlook and desire to establish a worldwi- de presence in external markets have been one of the axes our international sales figures, have accounted for 60% of our total turnover since 1998. of our strategic development, a fact reflected by the evolu- tion of our international sales figures, which have accounted for 60% of our total turnover since 1998. This international process has meant a great investment and effort for Rotecna, and over the years has become a key to the com- pany’s growth. all over the world 45 RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Lookout for drinking waterduring lactation Three different drinking systems for lactating sows have been evaluated for their effect on sow and piglet performance. A dra- matic difference in usage did not have a great impact on perfor- mance but can increase water and slurry disposal costs. By Ph D Maria Devant, Rotecna, Spain T1 T2 T3 Genetic improvement of the prolificacy of sows during An experiment was conducted on a 7,000 commercial Farrowing house image Litters were standardized to12 pigs within 24 hours after the last two decades has resulted in an indirect increa- sow farm in Lleida, Spain, to compare the various birth and then weighed. se of milk production requirement. Nowadays, the systems available to producers. The drinker type and In the mechanically ventilated farrowing room, where Conventional pig management was followed, including growth rate of a litter can reach 3 kg/d, which corres- position with respect to the farrowing crate trough dif- minimum and maximum room temperatures were recor- tail clipping after birth and the provision of creep feed ponds to an estimated milk yield of about 12 kg/d fered as follows: ded daily at 09:00, the pens were 1.6 x 2.4 m, separated and water from piglet nipple drinkers. No new piglets (Noblet and Etienne, 1989) of which approximately Treatment one (T1) used a VRH aqua level valve, which by a 50 cm high modular penning system. The crates were introduced or fostered after weighing. If any piglet 81% is water (Hurley and Bryson, 1999). Generally, maintains a constant water level at a depth of 5 cm in were 2.1 x 2.2 m with fingers. The floor was a combina- died, the date, cause and weight were recorded. water requirement in the lactating sow increases by the feeding trough. tion of metal tribar for the sows, plastic for the piglets Apparent water intake of each sow was recorded with an around 40% compared to a non-lactating sow. The Treatment two (T2) was a nipple drinker placed in the and a 1.2 x 0.4 m solid concrete nest area with under accurate water meter (model 510, Tashia) daily at 09:00. water intake is strongly related to feed intake and feeding trough. floor heating. Similarly, apparent feed intake of each sow was recorded. ambient temperature, but also to drinker type choice Treatment three (T3) had a nipple drinker with a bowl If any sow did not eat the whole ration, feed refusals and system flow (Mroz et al, 1995). separate from the feeding trough, positioned 10 cm Experimental design were recorded. Two basic feed curves were used, one for Nipple drinkers are commonly used for dispensing ad above the floor. gilts and one for sows (Figure 1) divided into three por- libitum water to lactating sows. In these systems water In T3, feed presentation was always dry in contrast to A total of 224 Large White x Landrace sows were used for tions offered at 06:00, 10:00 and 18:00. The ration was a flow is critical; it must be sufficient to stimulate water the other treatments where feed was mixed with the the experiment in seven replicates of 32 animals. Sows standard pelleted diet providing 3.34 Mcal of DE/kg, intake, but not excessive to avoid spillage and increa- water remaining in the feeding trough. The water flow were weighed on entry into the farrowing pens, 24 hours 16.8% CP, and 0.9% lysine. During the last 6 days of ges- ses in slurry volume. Another option is a system that rate for T2 and T3 was 6 and 3 litres per minute, res- after farrowing and post weaning. Sows in each experi- tation the gilts and sows were fed 2 kg once a day at maintains a constant water level in the feeding trough. pectively. mental period farrowed within three consecutive days. 06:00, dropping to 1.5 kg two days before farrowing and 67 RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT 1.3 kg the day before farrowing. The weaning-to-oestrus temperature effect has been considered as a random interval was also recorded. effect and not as a fixed main effect. Litter performance tendency A total of 12 sows were removed because of different pathologies that compromised their lactation.