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This study aimed to determine the effects of weaning age and postweaning feeding programme on pig performance and health. In experiment 1, 96 same gender pairs of pigs weaned at 3, 4 and 5 weeks of age were used in a 3 (weaning age)×4 (dietary programme) factorial design experiment. Pigs received different amounts of a phase 1 diet (16.2 MJ/kg digestible energy (DE) and 16.2 g/kg lysine) and phase 2 diet (15.3 MJ/kg DE and 15.0 g/kg lysine): (A) very low (VL, 1 kg phase 1 and 3 kg phase 2 diet per pig); (B) low (L, 2 kg phase 1 and 6 kg phase 2 diet per pig); (C) medium (M, 3 kg phase 1 and 9 kg phase 2 diet per pig) or (D) high (H, 4 kg phase 1 and 12 kg phase 2 diet per pig), followed by a cereal based phase 3 diet (15.0 MJ/kg DE and 13.8 g/kg lysine) to 10 weeks of age. In experiment 2, faecal samples from 60 pigs weaned at 3, 4 and 5 weeks of age were collected at 10 days postweaning and analysed for Escherichia coli and lactic acid bacteria counts. In experiment 1, there were no interaction effects of age×dietary programme on growth performance. Dietary programme did not affect growth performance from weaning to 10 weeks of age. From weaning to 10 weeks of age, increasing weaning age increased average daily gain (ADG; 363, 402, and 476 g for 3, 4 and 5 weeks respectively; s.e. 17.6; P 0.05) on pig weight at 10 weeks of age. In experiment 2, 3 week weaned pigs had higher faecal counts of E. coli (P 0.01) than 5 week weaned pigs at 10 days postweaning. In conclusion, feeding higher amounts of phases 1 and 2 diets did not affect performance at any of the weaning ages tested. Increasing weaning age increased growth performance between weaning and 10 weeks of age, but had no effect on the resulting body weight. Pigs weaned at 3 weeks of age had increased counts of selected faecal bacteria compared to those weaned later.

The effect of 3 slaughter weights (85, 95 or 105 kg) on performance and carcass traits of 481 pigs in single-gender groups of 13 (18 groups of gilts and 19 groups of intact males) was evaluated. Pigs (39.5 ± 3.3 kg) were fed a liquid diet 3 times daily in a long trough. The behaviour of pigs slaughtered at 105 kg was recorded at 50, 60 and 70 days after the start of the experiment (5 groups of gilts and 4 groups of intact males). Behaviour (active, inactive, feeding) and posture (standing, lying, dog-sitting) of all pigs was recorded at 5-min intervals for 30 min prior to and 1 h after each feeding event. Slaughtering pigs at 95 kg and 105 kg delayed production by 7 and 16 days, respectively, compared to slaughtering at 85 kg (P 0.05). Muscle depth increased with increasing slaughter weight (P

Little is known about the effectiveness of the cleaning and disinfection methods used on commercial pig farms either in Ireland or worldwide. A National Salmonella Control Programme was implemented in Ireland in August 2002 to monitor and control the infection of pigs with Salmonella species. Commercial pig herds must be categorised according to their Salmonella status as either category 1, 2 or 3, having a serological prevalence of infection with Salmonella serotypes up to 10 per cent, between 10 and 50 per cent or more than 50 per cent, respectively. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of washing and disinfecting finisher units on category 1 and category 3 farms in reducing or eliminating the levels of contamination. Counts of Enterobacteriaceae were used as indicators of the contamination of the environment with enteric bacteria, which could include Salmonella species. Samples were taken from the pen floors, feeders and drinkers of seven category 1 and seven category 3 farms, and Enterobacteriaceae and salmonellae were enumerated in each sample. The results suggested that intensive cleaning and disinfection was effective at reducing levels of Enterobacteriaceae on the pen floors of both categories, but that residual contamination remained on the surfaces of the feeders and drinkers on all the farms, particularly on the category 3 farms.

Aims: Studies were carried out to investigate the survival of Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Derby in pig slurry during summer and winter seasons. Methods and Results: Pig slurry samples collected from a commercial fattening house were inoculated with a broth culture of Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Derby, each at a level of log10 5·0 CFU ml−1 and log10 2·0 CFU ml−1. At the higher inoculum level, S. Typhimurium and S. Derby survived for 34 and 23 days, respectively in the summer, and 58 and 46 days, respectively in the winter. Survival at the lower inoculum level for S. Typhimurium and S. Derby was 19 and 16 days, respectively, in the summer and 24 days for both in the winter. Conclusions: The survival of S. Typhimurium and S. Derby observed in this study indicates that a 2-month holding period of pig slurry, prior to land spreading, may be adequate if separate storage facilities are provided. Significance and Impact of the Study: Despite difficulties correlating laboratory studies with on-farm conditions, pig slurry may not represent a major source of transmission of Salmonella spp. in the farm environment in Ireland.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of providing paper or rope, alternative enriching substrates to straw, to piglets in farrowing crates on piglet and sow welfare. Sixty multiparous sows and their litters were housed in crates that were either barren (BARREN), enriched with shredded paper (PAPER) or natural fibre rope (ROPE). Enriching substrates were introduced when piglets were 10 days old. The proportion of sows with udder and teat lesions before parturition and at weaning was recorded. Piglet facial lesions were scored according to severity on days 11, 18 and 27. Sow and piglet behaviour was recorded using scan sampling on days 14, 18, 22 and 26. Furthermore, the behaviour of one male and one female focal piglet per litter was recorded continuously for 10 min twice per day on days 14, 18, 22 and 26. On day 27 post-partum, focal piglets were observed for 5 min in a novel arena and for a further 5 min after a novel object was introduced. On day 27, there was a tendency for more BARREN sows to have teat lesions ( P = 0.07). PAPER litters tended to have a smaller proportion of piglets with facial lesions ( P = 0.06). ROPE piglets were active in the enriched area of the crate in more observations than BARREN and PAPER piglets ( P P P P P = 0.05). In conclusion, shredded paper improved piglet welfare and was easily incorporated into the farrowing crates.

Recent EU legislation discourages the practice of resecting piglets’ needle teeth. However, the effect of leaving piglets’ teeth intact on the welfare of sows in farrowing crates is poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare the effects of clipping and grinding piglets’ needle teeth, compared to leaving them intact, on the welfare of sows in farrowing crates. Six days pre-partum 60 multiparous sows were assigned to one of three treatments. Litters had their teeth clipped (C), ground (G) or left intact (I) at birth. Sows’ teats were inspected for lesions pre-partum (day −3) and on days 1, 4, 11, 18 and 27 post-partum. Instantaneous scan samples (5 min intervals) of sow behaviour were carried out during three 2 h periods on days 1, 4, 8, 14, 21 and 26. On days 1, 4 and 11 all piglets were removed from the crate for 60 min. On re-introduction of the piglets, sow maternal behaviour was recorded continuously for 20 min. The number of sows with teat lesions tended to differ between treatments on days 11 (P = 0.06) and 18 (P = 0.10). There was an interactive effect between treatment and day on sow dog-sitting behaviour throughout lactation (P There were indications that leaving the teeth intact and to a lesser extent grinding caused injury and disturbance to sows. In farrowing crates, leaving piglets’ teeth intact cannot be recommended.

Group housing systems for pregnant sows are set to become more popular, but there is evidence that this development could influence the welfare of sows in farrowing crates. A study was designed to assess the effect of gestation accommodation on behaviour, welfare and farrowing performance of sows in farrowing crates. Multiparous sows were housed loose [L] in groups of four with feeding stalls ( n =24) or individually in gestation stalls [S] ( n =24) from 1 month post-service. On day 110 of pregnancy, sows were moved to farrowing crates where they remained until 28 days post-partum. Behaviour was recorded on the first day in the crate and on day 10 of lactation. Posture changing frequency was recorded for 2 h prior to and for the duration of farrowing. Skin lesions were scored from 0 to 6 at 34 locations on the body the day before and the day after entry to the crate, post-farrowing, during weeks 2 and 3 of lactation and at weaning. On the first day in the crate S sows made significantly more attempts to lie down per lie down event than L sows ( P P P P P P

The objective of this study was to examine the differences in sow metacarpal properties through various parities and to compare the incidence of locomotory problems between stalled and loose-housed sows. Metacarpals (n = 110) of sows from six farms were collected at slaughter and stored at -20°C. Bones from one forelimb of sows in stalls (n = 36) and loose-housed (n = 20) were collected and their articular surfaces examined for Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD), these sows were also scored for lameness pre-slaughter. Metacarpals were CT scanned for cross sectional area and moment of inertia. Cylindrical sections from the diaphysis were used for mechanical testing and calculating bone strength indices. The results show there was little change in bone mineral status throughout the range of parities examined and overall metacarpal integrity was not compromised by multiple production cycles. There were no differences detected in the incidence of lameness or joint pathology between housing systems.

A longitudinal study of the prevalence of Salmonella spp. was carried out on 12 Irish pig farms, which included farrow-to-finish herds and specialised finishing units. The main objective of the project was to evaluate the efficacy of control measures implemented at farm level on highly infected farms. Control measures included the use of in-feed additives and /or improved hygiene and biosecurity measures. Prevalence of infection was monitored bacteriologically and serological- ly. Blood and faecal samples were collected from pigs at all production stages at 6-month intervals and in addition, serological status of finishing pigs was monitored at slaughter. Preliminary results suggest that some improvement occurred on all farms following implementation of controls for 12 months. Results for one of the in-feed additives (FormiTM) appear promising although as complete data are not yet available this preliminary conclusion should be interpreted with caution. Introduction The presence of Salmonella spp. on farms and in abattoirs is a serious food safety issue with pork being a significant contributor to human salmonellosis in Ireland (Boughton et al.

Little is known about the effectiveness of the cleaning and disinfection methods in use on commercial pig farms either in Ireland or worldwide. A National Salmonella Control Programme was implemented in Ireland in August 2002 to monitor and control infection with Salmonella spp. in pigs. In Ireland, all commercial pig herds must be categorised according to their Salmonella sta- tus. Herds in category 1, 2 and 3 have a serological Salmonella prevalence of infection of #10%, >10-#50% and >50-#100%, respectively. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of washing and disinfecting finisher units on category 1 and category 3 farms, in reducing or eliminating levels of Enterobacteriaceae. Enterobacteriaceae counts were used as indicators of the contamination of the environment with enteric bacteria, which could include Salmonella spp. Samples were taken from the pen floors and feeder/drinker units of four category 1, two high category 2 and 1 category 3 farms. Enterobacteriaceae and salmonellae were enumerated in each sample. Limited results available on enumeration suggest that there was a decrease in levels of Enterobacteriaceae on pen floors after cleaning and disinfection, regardless of category. However, significant residual contamination remained on the surfaces of the feeder/drinker units following cleaning and disinfection on all farms. Introduction A national programme to reduce Salmonella contamination in pork and pork prod- ucts should include monitoring and intervention from the farm to the factory. In Ireland, the national Salmonella control programme is based on the categorisation of all commercial pig herds according to their Salmonella status. Finishing pigs in herds in category 1, 2 and 3 have a serolog- ical Salmonella prevalence of #10%, >10-#50% and >50-#100%, respectively. The prevalence of Salmonella within a herd from farm to slaughter is governed by many fac- tors, one of the most important being an effective hygiene programme. Cleaning and disinfection have an important part to play in the control of this disease. It has been found that uninfected pigs, which remained in disinfected pens, usually stayed free of Salmonella (Linton et al. 1970). However, achieving a sufficient reduction in Salmonella levels by hygienic and management proce- dures alone can be quite difficult. In a study aimed at reducing Salmonella at farm level, Dahl et al. (1997) found that problem herds that improved hygiene combined with all in-all out measures did not achieve the same success as those that used organic acids in the water or feed. The objectives of this study were 1) to determine and compare the efficacy of cleaning and disinfection procedures in finisher units from ten category 1 and ten high category 2/category 3 farms, using Enterobacteriaceae counts as a marker for residual enteric bacteria, and 2) to deter- mine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. both before and after cleaning.

A survey of the prevalence of Salmonella species infection was conducted on 59 Irish farrow-to-finish pig herds. Faecal samples were collected from the pens of first-stage weaners (growing pigs approximately three to 10 weeks of age), second-stage weaners (approximately 10 to 17 weeks of age) and fatteners, and from the dry sow and farrowing sow houses. The prevalence of infection was estimated to within 5 per cent with a 95 per cent confidence interval. Thirty of the 59 herds were infected, 12 with Salmonella Typhimurium only, eight with Salmonella Derby only and seven with both S Typhimurium and S Derby; serotypes London, Livingstone and Infantis were each isolated from a single herd. Farms in Ireland are assigned to one of three infection categories on the basis of the antibody levels in samples of meat juice taken at slaughter. When a herd was classified as either positive or negative on the basis of the isolation of Salmonella from at least one faecal sample there was no association between the herd's category as determined by meat juice serology and the probability of the isolation of Salmonella from the faecal samples. However, there were differences in prevalence between pigs at different stages of production in herds of different categories. Farrowing sow houses in moderately infected (category 2) herds had significantly lower infection rates (P < or = 0.05) than other herd categories and other stages of production. Pigs from first-stage weaner pens in slightly infected (category 1) herds were more likely to be infected with Salmonella than pigs at any other stage of production or category of herd.

The conditions of PSE (pale, soft, exudative) and DFD (dark, firm, and dry) are significant causes for downgrading of pigmeat resulting in financial loss to the slaughter plant. The objective of this study was to document the variation in quality of pigmeat from one slaughter plant over a 15-month period, based on colour, appearance and pH. During 4 days of most weeks, 30 pigs were randomly selected from the slaughter line, resulting in a total number of 4560 pigs. Muscle pH between the third and fourth rib was measured 45 min, 90 min and 24 h after slaughter. Using a Minolta colorimeter (Hunter L, a, b scale), colour of the longissimus dorsi muscle was measured 24 h after slaughter. Muscle colour was also visually scored on a scale of 1–6. Carcass pH at 24 h post-mortem varied significantly with month of slaughter (P

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of dietary vitamin E supplementation on tissue α-tocopherol levels in muscles in the porcine carcass. Pigs (n = 9), were selected at random and divided into three groups (n = 3) and fed diets containing 0 (basal), 20, 160 mg dl-α-tocopheryl acetate/kg feed for a period of 130 days prior to slaughter. After slaughter carcasses were split centrally and chilled at 4 °C × 24 h. Muscles (n = 37) were identified and removed from the left side of each animal for each dietary group and stored at −20 °C until required. The mean α-tocopherol levels in pork muscle tissue were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the high-supplemented group (160 mg α-tocopheryl acetate/kg of feed) compared with the low-supplemented (20 mg/kg of feed) and basal groups (unsupplemented). In the supplemented samples, the muscles of the thoracic limb (4.8–9.9 mg α-tocopherol/kg of tissue) and neck and thorax (3.7–9.2 mg/kg) contained the greatest levels of α-tocopherol compared the muscles of the pelvic limb (4–5.6 mg/kg) and back (2.5–3.5 mg/kg).