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Development of organic pig production


Summary
In the early 1990's organic pig production was stabilized at a low level of 3-4,000 finishers produced per year resulting in a situation of demand exceeding supply despite the favourable prices on organic pig meat. A situation like that could not go on where customers ask for pig meat and the slaughterhouses and producers are unable to supply the article.

In order to increase the supplies of organic pig meat and at the same time to determine a realistic meat price, The Danish Bacon and Meat Council started a four-year-project concerning organic pig production. The pro-ject was started in Autumn 1996 on 4 farms, which were converted into organic production or were under conversion. The project took place in cooperation with Freeland Food, FDB (coops), the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences and the Organic Service Centre.

The project was carried out with a total amount of about 500 sows including finishing pigs, distributed be-tween the farms. The aim was to optimise the production on these farms and to evaluate the possibilities of the economic survival of future organic pig production, and also to estimate a steady pork price at farm level. In addition to this several trials will be carried out to solve specific problems.

The examinations consisted of a systematic data acquisition from the four farms, including production re-sults, farm management effects and nutrient balances so that each farm could be examined as a whole. Additionally, development projects was carried out on the farms with the objective to rationalizing organic pig production so that production is effected with the maximum of consideration for pig welfare, working envi-ronment and surrounding environment. The development projects comprise a.o.:

  • Development of systems for handling roughage.
  • Development of organic feed mixes, including alternative protein sources.
  • Development of functional pen layouts complying with the organic rules and the rules concerning wel-fare, environment and working conditions, and at the same time respecting the pigs’ climatic conditions and behavioural needs.