Outdoor improvements drive GB herd productivity rise
13th Apr 2017 / By Alistair Driver
The productivity of the GB breeding pig herd increased by almost half a pig weaned per sow in 2016, driven largely by improvements in outdoor herds.
According to the latest figures from Agrosoft, the number of pigs weaned per sow per year averaged 24.83 across all herds during 2016, 0.45 more than in 2015. This increase occurred despite a rise in pre-weaning mortality relative to the year earlier, returning to 2014 levels.
Stronger gains were made by the outdoor breeding herd, with pigs weaned per sow per year up 0.68 on 2015 at 22.77.
Improvements in the productivity of the indoor breeding herd were more modest. Pigs weaned per sow per year in 2016 increased by 0.27 to 26.24.
For more on this story, see Pig World