BVSc PhD DPM DiplECPHM MRCVS
source feeding the human population has not changed. The population in 1920 was about 2 billion, in the 2020’s it is now over 7 billion. In 1920 there was about ¼ billion pigs a year (pigs finished at a year) thus one pig per 8 people. In 2020 there are 1.5 billion pigs a year (given our pigs now live 6 months) thus one pig per 5 people. In the last 100 years the pig industry has increased output by 600%, a most impressive achievement. Currently, there are about 800 million pigs
on the planet at the same time. The Canadian industry in the 1920’s was just over 1% and now it is 2% of the global population and many pigs go next door (the States) to finish! The role of the Canadian pig is only set to
become more important. The next 25 years are going to be the most difficult time for the human population and the pig farmer is going to be key. We are beginning to control our population growth, but it will still reach 10 billion people
in 2050. This is a further increase of 2.5 to 3 billion people and about a billion more pigs per year are going to be required to feed these people.
The world’s population changes over time. | Source: www.worldometers.info
The bottom line is we need to accommodate, feed and look after 50% more pigs on the planet. Given the issues with politics, fewer people willing to work with pigs, less arable land and global warming, the next 25 years are going to be the most challenging time the global pig industry has ever experienced.
China is leading the way with new farm building design. While multistorey pig farming has been developing for the last 20 years, from 3 story open sides buildings in Thailand to 6 story buildings in Korea and using elevators to move the pigs from floor to floor, the development of pig hotels in China takes this revolution to a new level!
One obvious advantage of this is that valuable agricultural land is not taken up when pig farms are in 3 dimensions. Farmed pigs live in buildings which are environmentally controlled. All modern concepts of welfare can be incorporated into these pig hotels. These enterprises are going to create a similar challenge to the pig industry as did the introduction of 3 site production from the States in the 1980’s. Many of these ideas are being driven by biosecurity and perimeter security, which is much easier in such accommodation, essential in a world with African Swine Fever. Canada must remain free from ASF so we can provide genetics and pork to Asia and the developing African market. These pig hotels are being placed in the mountain areas, but I think a better place is actually in a port. This provides great transport links, a modern sewage system to manage the manure but most importantly a source of people to work on the farm.
China is leading the way with new farm building design. While multistorey pig farming has been developing for the last 20 years, from 3 story open sides buildings in Thailand to 6 story buildings in Korea and using elevators to move the pigs from floor to floor, the development of pig hotels in China takes this revolution to a new level!
Farrowing
•Stopping male castration and tail docking to save time.
•Robotic cleaning
Farrowing
•Single serving and heat checking once a day.
Wean to finish
•Combining litters pre-weaning to improve social behaviour of the pigs.
•More autosort and wean to finish so buildings are only washed 2 times per year.
•More adoption of computer recording systems for feed and water usage.
Medicines
•The adoption of more needleless technologies to the entire vaccine range.
Feed
•The increase in human population is going to put great pressure on swine feed resources and moving to alternative protein from insect farming, I think is inevitable.
•We need to consider the cost of feed conversion not growth rates. The pig was designed to turn poor quality feed into an excellent human food product.
Genetics
•I think genetic companies should only sell full length tail gilts and boars. This will force genetic companies to produce and select animals who have the correct temperament to be able to finish with whole tails.
•Improve Feed Conversion and sell boars on FCR basis. The basis of single serving is to enhance our use of the very best boars.
Carbon
If we can reduce FCR by 0.1 this is 10 kg of feed less per 100 kg liveweight pig. For Canada producing 30 million pigs per year, this is a saving of 150,000 tonnes of feed a year. This would be a lot of trucks, which do not have to be driven and a considerable saving in carbon production. We must become much more carbon conscious to compete with poultry production, our number one competitor.
Alternatives to meat? Vegan food.
In the next 25 years there will be great advances in the production of non-meat food. But 50 years ago it was soya and we are still waiting. The extra 3 billion people love pork and as they become more capable, they will want to eat more pork. While artificially reared meat will become a bigger reality, the next 25 years is not long enough. While the reduction in meat and pork in Canada is a feature of our developing society, I do not think this will be significant in Asia and Africa in this near future timeline. The next 25 years will be real exciting for all of us in pork production. The Canadian pig industry will lead the way in producing great food for the kids of today and tomorrow. Looking forward together.
This article was written for the Fall 2022 Swine Eastern Dairy Grist. To read the whole Swine Grist, click the button below.