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Agricultural and food sciences
- Other veterinary sciences not elsewhere classified
This project aims to increase the awareness of the pig farmer of the importance of a good stable climate for animal health, performance, and antimicrobial use and to avoid antimicrobial use to compensate for an inappropriate stable climate. The project also aims to introduce simple methods to assess the stable climate, with emphasis on adaptations of technical settings of ventilation parameters.
To this end, there is need for information that is easy accessible and easy to use. The project also aims to complete existing information and reinforce its importance and practical use to pig farmers.
To demonstrate the importance of an optimal stable climate, 10 commercial farms with problems due to poor stable climate will be selected and the temperature, relative humidity, CO2 concentrations and ventilation pattern will be monitored. Also animal health parameters, performance and antimicrobial use will monitored before and after corrective measures have been taken. Particular attention will be paid to the CO2 measurements. The focus will be put on measures that can be taken by the farmer to optimize the stable climate and ventilation rate.
The results from the project along with the general importance of a good stable climate and practical tips and tricks to optimize ventilation and stable climate will be communicated to the pig sector using existing and eventually new communication channels.