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The quality and quantity of drinking water are critical for the growth and health of pigs. Traditional bowl-type drinking fountains are associated with several issues, including the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria due to feed residue and water wastage resulting from pigs playing in the water. To address these issues and enhance piggery management, there is a need for innovative, water-saving, and hygienic smart drinking devices. This study aimed to address the shortcomings of traditional bowl-type drinking fountains by developing and evaluating an intelligent water-saving drinking bowl for pigs. We incorporated PLC control modules, water level detection, drinking recognition, and precise water quantity measurement into the intelligent drinking bowl. This system ensured the rational and accurate supply of water to pigs and features an automatic residue cleaning function within the bowl. To evaluate the impact of this intelligent drinking bowl on pig production performance, water consumption, drinking behavior and the hygienic quality of drinking water, we conducted an experiment involving 100 fattening pigs in good physiological condition, with an average body weight of 85.87 ± 15.80 kg. Then, the pigs were randomly assigned to two treatment groups: one with traditional drinking bowls and the other with intelligent drinking bowls. Each group had 5 replicates, with 10 pigs per replicate, and the entire experiment was conducted over a period of 35 days. Our results revealed that both types of bowls demonstrated two distinct peaks in drinking activity, occurring at approximately 09:00 and 15:00. When comparing the smart drinking bowl group to the traditional bowl group, the group using smart drinking bowls showed a 3% increase in daily weight gain, a 0.7% reduction in feed intake, and a 5% decrease in the feedto-weight ratio. However, none of these differences were statistically significant. Meanwhile, the two types of drinking bowls had no significant effect on the drinking behavior, such as the frequency and duration of drinking. Significant differences were noted in water consumption and wastage. The average daily water consumption was 11.14 ± 0.46 L/d for the traditional drinking bowl group and 10.05 ± 0.46 L/d for the intelligent drinking bowl group, with a highly significant difference (P < 0.01). Water wastage was 0.89 ± 0.13 L/d for the traditional bowl and 0.25 ± 0.13 L/d for the intelligent bowl, with a highly significant difference (P < 0.01). The intelligent drinking bowl reduced water wastage by 60.9% to 79.5% compared to the traditional bowl. Additionally, total coliform counts in the residual water were 83.00 ± 3.46 MPN/100 mL for the traditional drinking bowl group and 68.33 ± 4.04 MPN/100 mL for the intelligent drinking bowl, with a significant difference (P < 0.05). The total coliform bacteria count in residual water within smart drinking bowls used by fattening pigs was reduced by 16.3% to 19.2% compared to traditional drinking bowls. Economic analysis indicated that the cost savings from reduced water usage alone can offset the initial investment in smart drinking bowls within approximately one year. This study demonstrated that the intelligent drinking bowl effectively reduced water wastage and improved the hygienic quality of drinking water, thereby supporting better animal welfare and offering practical benefits for piggery management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the effects of Feizhusan on the growth performance, serum biochemical indexes, antioxidant levels, and growth hormone levels of fattening pigs, a total of 160 fattening pigs were divided into four groups in this experiment. The control group was fed with basic feed, group 1, 2, and 3 added 1%, 2%, and 4% Feizhusan to the feed. The experimental period was 35 days. During the experiment, the growth of fattening pigs were recorded, and serum biochemical indexes, antioxidant levels, and growth hormone levels were measured on days 0 and 35. The results showed that compared with the control group, the weight gain and average daily weight gain of group1, group 2, and group 3 increased significantly (P<0.01), average daily feed in‐ take of group 2 and group 3 increased significantly (P<0.05). There were no significant difference in feed conversion ratio among the groups (P>0.05). Serum urea nitrogen significantly decreased (P<0.05), serum glucose extremely significantly increased (P<0.01), superoxide dismutase showed an upward trend (0.05< P<0.10), and cortisol significantly decreased (P<0.05). In summary, adding Feizhusan to the feed for fat‐ tening pigs has the effect of improving growth performance, improving serum biochemical indexes, in‐ creasing antioxidant and growth hormone levels，and the recommended dosage is 2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intensive breeding environment usually sacrifices the biological needs of pigs and will have a negative impact on the welfare and production efficiency of pigs. In this study, a bedding elevated platform rearing system was established and its effect on the welfare of fattening pigs was evaluated. A total of 456 fattening pigs were divided into the elevated platform rearing system group (EP) and control group (CON). The welfare of pigs during the rearing period (57–97 days of age) and the fattening periods (98–168 days of age) was assessed through behavioral observation, physiological indicators, growth performance, and bone quality. Pigs in the EP group showed less manipulating behavior and more playing behavior than pigs in the CON group during the first 48 h of the test. Moreover, EP pigs expressed more standing, play, and exploratory behaviors and less sitting, lying down, manipulating, and fighting behaviors than the CON pigs during the rearing period. More standing and playing behavior and less sitting, manipulating behavior, and fighting behavior were expressed in the EP group than the CON group during the fattening period. In both of the rearing and fattening periods, serum cortisol concentrations were lower in the EP group than the CON group; C-reactive protein concentrations were significantly higher in the EP group than CON group; TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IgA, IgG, and IgM levels were significantly higher in the EP group than the CON group, but IL-10 levels were significantly lower in the EP group than the CON group. The EP group had less skin lesions and a higher final body weight. Our study confirms that the enriched elevated platform rearing system promotes the expression of positive behaviors and reduced skin and limb lesions, which also improve the growth performance of pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pigs try to separate their lying area fromthe dunging area. However, due to several factors such as pen design, increasing ambient temperatures, or lack of space, pigs often lie in the dunging area or defaecate in the lying area, resulting in increased pen and animal soiling. Besides poor hygienic conditions, this may also lead to increased ammonia emissions. Thus, proper changes to support the structure of conventional pens may help facilitate better elimination behaviour of pigs and establish and maintain their functional areas, including dunging areas. In this study, we investigated the effect of measures to help pigs use pre-defined functional areas. The study was done on a conventional farm in pens with fully slatted floors. Pen and animal soiling was recorded by a scoring scheme in a total of 37 pens during two fattening periods. In the first fattening period (baseline period), the pen design remained unchanged to evaluate the status quo. In the second fattening period (treatment period), certain changes in 16 test pens were done to structure the pen into a designated dunging and a resting area. The remaining 21 pens served as control pens. Changes included installation of LED spotlights, partly open pen partitions, and re-arrangement of nipple drinkers and hay racks. To compare the soiling of pens, the difference in pen soiling was calculated both between the baseline and the treatment periods and the control and test pens. As a first step, the difference in pen soiling between the control and test pens within both fattening periods was compared. Additionally, to control for changes in pen soiling over time, the differences between the pen soiling of the control pens during the baseline period and the treatment period were compared. The same comparison was done for the test pens. In the treatment period, no significant difference in the pen soiling between the control pens and test pens was found. However, over time, i.e., comparing the soiling of test pens and control pens between the baseline and the treatment periods, pigs soiled the designated dunging areas more in the treatment period. The fattening pigs in both the test and the control pens were very clean during both fattening periods. Our pen modification treatment that combined changes in LED spotlights, drinker locations, roughage locations, and partly open pen partitions did not result in clear effects. However, we can not rule out that these features can help to structure the pens in a positive way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the effects of Bacillus subtilis on the growth performance, nutrient apparent digestibility, gut microbiota, slaughter performance, meat quality, and immune function of finishing pigs, 80 finishing pigs were randomly divided into 4 groups, the group A, group B, group C, and group D were supplemented with 0, 0.01%, 0.05%, and 0.10% Bacillus subtilis in the basic diet. The growth performance, nutrient apparent digestibility, intestinal flora, slaughter performance, meat quality and immune function were measured. The results showed that the final weight, CP digestibility, Lactobacillus Count, Bacillus count, slaughter weight, and IgG content of group B, group C, and group D were significantly increased compared with group A (P<0.05), and the Escherichia coli count, drip loss rate were significantly decreased compared with group A (P<0.05). The average daily gain, EE digestibility, CF digestibility, slaughter rate, lean meat rate, pH24 h, spleen index, and IgA content of group C and group D were significantly increased compared with group A (P<0.05), while the feed to weight ratio, Salmonella count, back fat thickness, and shear strength were significantly decreased compared with group A (P<0.05). It indicates that with the increase of the dosage of Bacillus subtilis added, the growth performance, nutrient apparent digestibility, gut microbiota, slaughter performance, meat quality, and immune function detection indicators of fattening pigs gradually improve, with a selected additive amount of 0.10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmgate balances are used as a tool for monitoring nutrient surpluses at farm level. In Germany, preparation of farmgate balances is legally mandatory and also requires data on chemical body composition, especially concentration of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), of farm animals. It is well known that increased N and P efficiency results in lowered N and P excretions with the manure and therefore mitigates negative consequences of high N and P release into the environment (e.g. eutrophication of surface waters), especially in areas with high livestock density. In this context, feeding N- and P-reduced diets can be a strategy for increasing N and P efficiency in fattening pigs. To investigate the influence of N- and P-reduced diets on chemical body composition of barrows and to update current used data basis, 8 barrows were slaughtered after a balance trial and their bodies were subjected to full body analysis. During the balance trial, pigs received the control diet (CON) meeting common nutrient requirements or the N- and P-reduced diet (NPred) in a three-phased feeding regimen (n = 4/diet, 3 weeks/phase). Pigs were slaughtered with an average live weight (LW) of 123.3 ± 7.5 kg and carcasses were manually dissected in four fractions. Fractions were analysed for nutrient concentration. Furthermore, organs were weighed individually and blood serum was sampled during exsanguination. Serum samples were analysed for clinical-chemical traits. Chemical body composition did not significantly differ between NPred- and CON-fed pigs. N concentration was 23.3 ± 0.3 and 24.5 ± 1.0 g/kg, P concentration was 5.2 ± 0.1 and 5.5 ± 0.4 g/kg in the empty body of NPred- and CON-fed pigs (p = 0.073, 0.164). N and P retention between the experiment's start and slaughter did not differ between the feeding groups (p = 0.641, 0.240). Variables related to liver integrity, energy metabolism and electrolytes were similar between CON- and NPred-fed pigs. Traits related to protein metabolism showed significantly reduced concentrations of urea and albumin in NPred-fed pigs (p = 0.013, 0.025), but no hypoalbuminaemia. Results suggest that N- and P-reduced feeding does not significantly affect chemical body composition of contemporary barrows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pigs try to separate their lying area from the dunging area. However, due to several factors such as pen design, increasing ambient temperatures, or lack of space, pigs often lie in the dunging area or defaecate in the lying area, resulting in increased pen and animal soiling. Besides poor hygienic conditions, this may also lead to increased ammonia emissions. Thus, proper changes to support the structure of conventional pens may help facilitate better elimination behaviour of pigs and establish and maintain their functional areas, including dunging areas. In this study, we investigated the effect of measures to help pigs use pre-defined functional areas. The study was done on a conventional farm in pens with fully slatted floors. Pen and animal soiling was recorded by a scoring scheme in a total of 37 pens during two fattening periods. In the first fattening period (baseline period), the pen design remained unchanged to evaluate the status quo. In the second fattening period (treatment period), certain changes in 16 test pens were done to structure the pen into a designated dunging and a resting area. The remaining 21 pens served as control pens. Changes included installation of LED spotlights, partly open pen partitions, and re-arrangement of nipple drinkers and hay racks. To compare the soiling of pens, the difference in pen soiling was calculated both between the baseline and the treatment periods and the control and test pens. As a first step, the difference in pen soiling between the control and test pens within both fattening periods was compared. Additionally, to control for changes in pen soiling over time, the differences between the pen soiling of the control pens during the baseline period and the treatment period were compared. The same comparison was done for the test pens. In the treatment period, no significant difference in the pen soiling between the control pens and test pens was found. However, over time, i.e., comparing the soiling of test pens and control pens between the baseline and the treatment periods, pigs soiled the designated dunging areas more in the treatment period. The fattening pigs in both the test and the control pens were very clean during both fattening periods. Our pen modification treatment that combined changes in LED spotlights, drinker locations, roughage locations, and partly open pen partitions did not result in clear effects. However, we can not rule out that these features can help to structure the pens in a positive way.

The impact of pork production on global livestock’s greenhouse gas emissions is substantial. Understanding the factors influencing these emissions is crucial in achieving a more sustainable pig husbandry. In two independent experiments, the impact of slaughter weight on the carbon footprint (CFP) of pig feed intake (CFPFI) was evaluated for growing-finishing pigs of different sexes (entire males (EM), barrows (BA), immunocastrates (IC) and gilts (GI)). In experiment 1 118 animals were raised individually in experimental conditions. In experiment 2 384 animals were housed in group (four pigs per pen), in controlled commercial farm circumstances. All animals were fed ad libitum in a three-phase feeding regime and slaughtered at different BW, ranging from 110 to 148 kg (experiment 1) and from 99 to 138 kg (experiment 2). When only the fattening period was considered, the CFPFI was expressed per kg carcass growth. When the production of piglets was also taken into account, the CFPFI was calculated per kg carcass weight. For all sexes, the heavier the pig, the higher the CFPFI per kg carcass growth (P

The study determined the impacts of dietary fermented residues’ (FBR) inclusion on growth, nutrient utilization, carcass characteristics, and meat properties in fattening pigs. Seventy-two robust pigs were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire, thirty-six pigs each). Each group was subjected to a 52-day trial, during which they received either a corn–soybean meal-based diet or diet enhanced with a 10% addition of FBR. Consequently, adding 10% FBR caused a significant decrease in the digestive utilization of crude dietary components in fattening pigs (p < 0.05) but showed no significant impact on the growth performance. Additionally, FBR inclusion increased the marbling scores (p < 0.05) and total antioxidant functions (p < 0.05) of muscle tissues, indicating improved meat quality. Gender affected backfat depth, with barrows showing thicker backfat depth. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 10% FBR in finishing pigs influenced the meat quality by improving the marbling score and antioxidant performance while reducing digestibility without compromising growth performance.

Simple Summary: The objective of this study is to examine the effects of a phytobiotic-prebiotic feed additive (PPFA) containing a combination of carob pulp, chicory, and fenugreek on growth performance, carcass traits, and fecal microbiota in fattening pigs. One kg/T of the PPFA shows a significant effect on growth promotion and a positive effect on lean meat production and carcass quality of fattening pigs. Moreover, the PPFA has the ability to regulate intestinal microbiota by improving beneficial bacteria while inhibiting some pathogen bacteria. This PPFA could be an effective antibiotic-free feed additive to enhance growth performances, improve carcass grade, and promote healthy gut development in fattening pigs. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a phytobiotic-prebiotic feed additive (PPFA, which contains a combination of chicory and extracts of carob pulp and fenugreek) in the diets of fattening pigs on growth indicators, carcass characteristics, and fecal microbiota. A total of 329 crossbred pigs were randomly divided into two dietary treatments, including a basal diet without additives as the control group and a basal diet supplemented with 1 kg/T PPFA as the trial group. The PPFA supplementation led to a significant increase in the body weight gain and average daily gain of the trial group compared to those of the control group after 70 days of feeding. Through the S-EUROP evaluation system, we also found that the fattening pigs fed PPFA significantly improved their carcass indicators. Furthermore, it was shown that PPFA regulated porcine intestinal microbiota, including promoting the growth of the beneficial commensal bacteria (i.e., Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus) while inhibiting some potential pathogen bacteria (i.e., Bacteroidaceae and Campylobacteraceae). Our work revealed that the phytobiotic-prebiotic feed additive containing carob pulp, chicory, and fenugreek positively influences the intestinal microbiota, growth performance, and carcass traits in fattening swine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary soybean oil (SO) substitution with Sacha inchi oil (SIO) supplemented with herbal plants (HP, Bidens pilosa, Angelica sinensis, and Ramulus cinnamomi) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and pork quality parameters. A total of 144 Duroc x (Landrace x Yorkshire) crossbred pigs (63.1 ± 0.4 kg) were randomly allocated to one of the three dietary treatments: a basal diet containing 2% SO without HP (CONT), a basal diet containing 1% SO, 1% SIO and 1% HP (TRT1), and a basal diet containing 2% SIO and 1% HP (TRT2). Each treatment includes 4 replicate pens containing 12 pigs, balanced by sex and body weight. The experiment lasted for 70 days. The results show no effects of the dietary treatments on average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and feed efficiency. Likewise, there were no differences in carcass moisture losses, lean percentage, pH, and colors between the dietary treatments. The pigs fed the SIO diets with HP had lower backfat thickness (p=0.02) than their counterparts fed the SO diet. In pork, a significant decrease in lipid and cholesterol, and an increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially omega-3 and omega-6, were found (p<0.01) in the SIO groups when compared to the control one. The PUFA percentage increased linearly with the levels of SIO. In conclusion, replacing SO with SIO associated with HP did not affect animal performance but produced a leaner carcass and upgraded pork quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Testosterone and nandrolone can be illegally administered to meat-producing animals as synthetic esters. To tackle the abuse of growth promoters, alternative approaches able to investigate specific changes induced in proteins, transcripts, and metabolites are becoming recommendable. This work aimed to characterize transcriptome perturbations related to the illicit administration of steroid esters in fattening pigs. Animals were treated with testosterone esters (Sustanon®, Organon, Jersey City, NJ, USA) or nandrolone esters (Myodine®, Le Vet Beheer B.V., Oudewater, Utrecht, The Netherlands). At the end of the trial, liver samples were collected for gene expression studies. Comparisons between treated and control groups using RNAseq allowed the identification of 491 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Further analysis of DEGs characterized a smaller cluster of 16 genes. A field survey performed on liver samples collected from pigs belonging to different breeds and weight categories allowed the validation of the selected biomarkers using qPCR, confirming their specificity by comparison with testosterone residue profiles on respective serum samples. The use of anabolic–androgenic steroids (AASs) as growth promoters in farm animals is banned in the European Union, representing both an illicit practice and a risk for consumer health. However, these compounds are still illegally administered, often in the form of synthetic esters. This work aimed to characterize significant coding RNA perturbations related to the illicit administration of testosterone and nandrolone esters in fattening pigs. A total of 27 clinically healthy 90-day-old pigs were randomly assigned to test and control groups. Nine animals were treated with testosterone esters (Sustanon®) and other nine with nandrolone esters (Myodine®). At the end of the trial, liver samples were collected and analyzed using RNAseq, allowing the identification of 491 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The transcriptional signature was further characterized by a smaller sub-cluster of 143 DEGs, from which a selection of 16 genes was made. The qPCR analysis confirmed that the identified cluster could still give good discrimination between untreated gilt and barrows compared to the relative testosterone-treated counterparts. A conclusive field survey on 67 liver samples collected from pigs of different breeds and weight categories confirmed, in agreement with testosterone residue profiles, the specificity of selected transcriptional biomarkers, showing their potential applications for screening purposes when AAS treatment is suspected, allowing to focus further investigations of competent authorities and confirmatory analysis where needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The greater the number of animals, the harder it becomes to monitor the health status of individual animals. The purpose of this study was to calculate a measure of activity for individual pigs in a fattening barn by using an automatic detection system. The results show changes in the activity data of group-housed pigs during fattening periods. We assume a high potential to use this automatically calculated activity measure for various purposes. Monitoring the activity of animals can help with assessing their health status. We monitored the walking activity of fattening pigs using a UHF-RFID system. Four hundred fattening pigs with UHF-RFID ear tags were recorded by RFID antennas at the troughs, playing devices and drinkers during the fattening period. A minimum walking distance, or virtual walking distance, was determined for each pig per day by calculating the distances between two consecutive reading areas. This automatically calculated value was used as an activity measure and not only showed differences between the pigs but also between different fattening stages. The longer the fattening periods lasted, the less walking activity was detected. The virtual walking distance ranged between 281 m on average in the first fattening stage and about 141 m in the last fattening stage in a restricted environment. The findings are similar to other studies considering walking distances of fattening pigs, but are far less labor-intensive and time-consuming than direct observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of light intensity has been explored in relation to endocrine functions and reproduction in pigs, but effects on health and behaviour are scarcely documented. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different light intensities on behaviour, health and growth of growing-finishing pigs. An experiment was conducted on a commercial farm equipped with light-emitting diode-based luminaires creating four light intensity treatments: low (45 lux), medium (198 lux), high (968 lux) and spatial gradient of intensity (from 71 lux to 330 lux). Per treatment, 112 pigs were studied in two batches of eight pens. Once every two weeks behaviours such as exploration, positive and negative social interactions, play and abnormal behaviours were observed. Health issues were assessed weekly and included biting lesions, skin lesions, leg and respiratory disorders. The average daily gain over the experiment was calculated and after slaughter carcasses were inspected. Generalised linear mixed models were used for the analysis of behaviours, binary health scores, carcass abnormalities, ordinal logistic regression for multilevel health scores, and linear mixed models for average daily gain. Interactions between intensity and week were found for some behaviours (i.e., exploration, negative social interactions and abnormal behaviour) and health issues (i.e., tear stains, conjunctivitis, body lesions, bursitis and tail lesions). However, none of the treatments consistently outperformed another one. Light treatments did not affect pig growth and carcass abnormalities. These variable results support studies suggesting that pigs are adaptable to light intensities, and inconsistencies over weeks might have been caused by environmental factors that could not be controlled in a commercial farm setting. To conclude, tested light intensities had no clear effects on pig behaviour, health and growth.

An intensive breeding environment usually sacrifices the biological needs of pigs and will have a negative impact on the welfare and production efficiency of pigs. In this study, a bedding elevated platform rearing system was established and its effect on the welfare of fattening pigs was evaluated. A total of 456 fattening pigs were divided into the elevated platform rearing system group (EP) and control group (CON). The welfare of pigs during the rearing period (57–97 days of age) and the fattening periods (98–168 days of age) was assessed through behavioral observation, physiological indicators, growth performance, and bone quality. Pigs in the EP group showed less manipulating behavior and more playing behavior than pigs in the CON group during the first 48 h of the test. Moreover, EP pigs expressed more standing, play, and exploratory behaviors and less sitting, lying down, manipulating, and fighting behaviors than the CON pigs during the rearing period. More standing and playing behavior and less sitting, manipulating behavior, and fighting behavior were expressed in the EP group than the CON group during the fattening period. In both of the rearing and fattening periods, serum cortisol concentrations were lower in the EP group than the CON group; C-reactive protein concentrations were significantly higher in the EP group than CON group; TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IgA, IgG, and IgM levels were significantly higher in the EP group than the CON group, but IL-10 levels were significantly lower in the EP group than the CON group. The EP group had less skin lesions and a higher final body weight. Our study confirms that the enriched elevated platform rearing system promotes the expression of positive behaviors and reduced skin and limb lesions, which also improve the growth performance of pigs.

The study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary soybean oil (SO) substitution with Sacha inchi oil (SIO) supplemented with herbal plants (HP, Bidens pilosa, Angelica sinensis, and Ramulus cinnamomi) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and pork quality parameters. A total of 144 Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) crossbred pigs (63.1 ± 0.4 kg) were randomly allocated to one of the three dietary treatments: a basal diet containing 2% SO without HP (CONT), a basal diet containing 1% SO, 1% SIO and 1% HP (TRT1), and a basal diet containing 2% SIO and 1% HP (TRT2). Each treatment includes 4 replicate pens containing 12 pigs, balanced by sex and body weight. The experiment lasted for 70 days. The results show no effects of the dietary treatments on average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and feed efficiency. Likewise, there were no differences in carcass moisture losses, lean percentage, pH, and colors between the dietary treatments. The pigs fed the SIO diets with HP had lower backfat thickness (p=0.02) than their counterparts fed the SO diet. In pork, a significant decrease in lipid and cholesterol, and an increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially omega-3 and omega-6, were found (p

In order to explore the effect of compound probiotics on the growth performance and meat quality of fattening pigs, a total of 80 "Du×Da×Chang" three- way hybrid pigs (100- day- old, robust pigs, 50-55 kg) were randomly divided into four groups. Each group had 20 pigs, respectively, which were test groupⅠ(basic diet), test group Ⅱ (basic diet + 0.2% compound probiotics), test group Ⅲ (basic diet + 0.4% compound probiotics) and test group Ⅳ (basic diet + 0.6% compound probiotics), the test period lasted for 12 weeks. Six meat quality indicators, including average daily food intake, average daily weight gain and feed-to-weight ratio of fattening pigs were calculated, and the meat color, marbling, flavor and pH45 min, pH24 h and drip loss were measured. The results showed that compound probiotics could significantly increase the final weight and average daily weight gain of fattening pigs (P<0.05), and significantly reduce the average daily feed intake and feed-to-weight ratio of fattening pigs (P<0.05). Compared with the test group which basal diet added 0.2% compound probiotics, the final weight and average daily weight gain of fattening pigs on the test groups with 0.4% and 0.6% compound probiotics added to basal diet were significantly increased (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in daily food intake (P>0.05), and the feed-to-weight ratio was significantly reduced (P<0.05). After adding 0.4% and 0.6% compound probiotics to the basal diet, the final weight, average daily weight gain, average daily food intake and feed-to-weight ratio had no significant difference (P>0.05). Compound probiotics could not effectively improve the scores of meat color, marbling, pH45 min, flavor, pH24 h and drip loss of fattening pigs (P>0.05). The results showed that adding compound probiotics to the basal diet could significantly improve the growth performance of fattening pigs, but had no significant effect on the meat quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to demonstrate the application of process mining on video data of pigs, facilitating the analysis of behavioral patterns. Video data were collected over a period of 5 days from a pig pen in a mechanically ventilated barn and used for analysis. The approach in this study relies on a series of individual steps to allow process mining on this data set. These steps include object detection and tracking, spatiotemporal activity recognition in video data, and process model analysis. Each step gives insights into pig behavior at different time points and locations within the pen, offering increasing levels of detail to describe typical pig behavior up to process models reflecting different behavior sequences for clustered datasets. Our data-driven approach proves suitable for the comprehensive analysis of behavioral sequences in conventional pig farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objectives]Aiming at the problems of large identification error and slow detection speed of feeding behavior of fattening pigs, a feeding behavior detection model of fattening pigs with lightweight structure was proposed, which realized the rapid detection of feeding behavior of fattening pigs and the statistics of feeding duration. [Methods]Based on the YOLO v5L object detection algorithm, a pig feeding behavior detection model from a side-view perspective was constructed. Compared with the impact of replacing different lightweight backbone networks on the detection effect of the model, the model with the best performance was selected. The basic unit of ShuffleNet V2 network structure was improved, and the group convolution and channel mixing operations were used to reduce the network calculation amount and fully integrated the characteristic information between different channels. The Mish activation function was used to improve the generalization ability and inference speed of the model, and the SE(squeeze and excitation)attention mechanism was introduced to give higher weight to the target features to improve the target recognition accuracy. The model was compared and analyzed to increase the accuracy of feeding behavior recognition before and after the detection of non-nutritive visit behavior. [Results]The size of the optimized feeding behavior detection model of the fattening pig was 38.2 MB, the calculation amount was 37.8 GFLOPs, and the average frame time of video detection was 7.6 ms. After increasing the non-nutritive visit behavior detection, the accuracy of the detection of feeding behavior in pigs in this model was 96.4%, and the recall rate was 92.5%, respectively. The relative error between the model's detection of feeding time and artificial statistical feeding time was 6.1%. [Conclusions]The improved YOLO v5L-ShuffleNet network model's detection speed and the model size can meet the actual production requirements, and can identify pig feeding behavior and record feeding time around the clock in complex breeding environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: To reduce the impact of livestock on the environment, in modern rations for farm animals the concentration of relevant nutrients is aimed to be lowered. The main nutrients in focus are nitrogen and phosphorus. Because phosphorus is essential for bone development, the degree to which dietary phosphorus can be decreased is limited. There are case reports that pigs indicate leg problems under specific practical conditions, and theories that this might be linked to reduced phosphorus level in feeds are circulating. To verify whether these observations are connected to the nutritionally recommended reduction of dietary mineral phosphorus and to increase the acceptance of these feeding regimes on farmer level, three diets with variable phosphorus levels were fed throughout grower and finisher stages. Performance, bone mineralization, blood parameters and selected mineral transporters involved in P homoeostasis were studied. The results did not show any indication of an insufficient outcome. Thus, it is concluded that the digestible phosphorus supply was sufficient within the range of this study. It is further highlighted that it is essential to decrease the calcium concentration in phosphorus-reduced diets to maintain high P digestibility and availability, which is often neglected under practical conditions. The reduction of emissions of nutrients from livestock is one of the main topics in areas with intensive animal husbandry. In order to minimize the loss of nutrients into the environment, it is common practice to feed animals as close as possible to metabolic demands. For phosphorus (P), there are various studies for swine and poultry, which showed that a reduction of dietary P levels is possible, if a sufficient level of phytase is added to the diet. The supplementation of a sufficient dosage of phytase to plant-based diets leads to an increase in digestible phosphorus (dP) upon the hydrolisation of phytate (InsP6) to P and lower inositol-phosphates. However, most of these studies were conducted under standardized experimental conditions. In terms of transfer to practical conditions with varying housing, management and genetics, there are concerns that have led to speculation by farmers and veterinarians whether the reduction of dietary P could negatively affect bone health and therefore animal welfare. In order to test whether a reduction of dietary P according to the recommendations for dP of the German Society of Nutrition Physiology (GfE) affects bone mineralization and growth performance, a ringtest was conducted where piglets and fattening pigs were fed at four experimental stations with three centrally produced diets from the same batches. The diets contained three different levels of P and were designed to reflect practical diets. The P level decreased from diet one to three, respectively. Diets one and two were calculated to contain P levels, which are typically fed under practical conditions in Germany. The third diet was optimized to fulfill the requirements of dP by the GfE. The animals were fed in two phases as post-weaning piglets (8–15 kg and 15–28 kg BW) followed by a three-phase fattening regime (28–60 kg, 60–90 kg and 90–120 kg BW). Individual body weight and feed consumption (pen basis or individually, depending on the experimental station) were recorded for every feeding phase. At the end of the experiment, animals were slaughtered. At one experimental station, additional blood serum, metatarsi of the left leg and kidney tissue were sampled to analyze serum P concentration, expression of P transporters in the kidney and bone traits. In two experimental stations, femur and vertebra were sampled, and bone ash was determined. Overall, animal performance and all other traits analyzed did not differ between the treatment with the highest and the treatment with the lowest dietary P concentration. The results demonstrate that it is possible to decrease dietary P according to the recommendations for dP of the GfE, without impairing the animals' performance or mineral homeostasis and health. A reduction of total P by reducing mineral P to the levels of the present study require the supplementation of phytase to achieve sufficient concentrations of dP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The agro-industrial by-products are known to be effective in improving the profitability of livestock industry because of the reduction of feed cost due to low supply price and the nutritional characteristics of by-products. Carrots are widely used as food and, thus, produce remarkable amounts of carrot by-products, such as peels and discarded and uncommercialised carrots. Aims: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of substituting fermented carrot by-product diets on the blood profiles, immune responses, and faecal characteristics of fattening pigs. Methods: Crossed pigs (n = 96, 75.8 kg initial average BW) were divided into eight heads per pen, four diets, and three replications, and were fed an experimental diet for 45 days. Basal diet (C) was substituted with 3% (T1), 6% (T2), and 9% (T3) fermented carrot by-product diets. Key results: Although crude protein content in the fermented diet increased at the end of fermentation period (Day 13) compared with the start of the fermentation period (Day 0), the crude fibre content in the fermented diet decreased. Substitution of fermented carrot by-product diet improved the haematic functions of blood due to decreased concentrations of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, while positively affecting the immunoglobulin G level of serum. Substitution of 6% and 9% fermented carrot by-product diets decreased the emissions of faecal noxious gases such as ammonia, methane, and amine, possibly due to increases in the counts of faecal anaerobic total bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, and yeast. Conclusion: Substitution with fermented carrot by-product diets improved the hepatic function of blood and faecal beneficial microflora, while decreasing noxious gas emission and faecal harmful microflora in fattening pigs. Moreover, fermented carrot by-product diets may protect against infection due to increased serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations of fattening pigs. Implication: Substitution with fermented carrot by-product diets is expected to decrease swine odour by enhancing the feeding environment of fattening pigs and carrot by-products are secure feed ingredients or materials in pig diets. Since carrots are widely consumed worldwide, the production of by-products is also huge. The pig industry is struggling with the increase in feed cost and the odour problem of manure. This study confirmed the effect of carrot by-product feeding on blood profiles, immune responses, and faecal characteristics in fattening pigs. The results of this study suggest that carrot by-products are effective in enhancing immunity and reducing the odour of manure without negative effects on pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Meeting the water requirements of fattening pigs is crucial for animal welfare in successful animal husbandry. At the same time, barn climate has a significant influence on the water requirements of fattening pigs. Equations for the estimation of water consumption are useful in this context. However, it is questionable whether existing equations match modern pig genetics and housing conditions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the water consumption of modern fattening pigs and compare the measured values with the predicted values using equations from the literature. It was found that the measured water consumption was, in most cases, higher than the calculated one. As a result, six new equations for the prediction of water consumption were derived and discussed. More data are needed to further specify these new equations. The water consumption of fattening pigs was recorded under practical conditions and compared with calculated water consumption. The experiment was carried out in the summer of 2020 with 79 fattening pigs. Data loggers were used to record the climate data, such as temperature and relative humidity. These data were used to calculate the temperature-humidity index (THI). It was found that there were sometimes considerable discrepancies between the measured and the calculated water consumption. One possible reason for this discrepancy could be the age of the existing water requirement equations, as in recent decades there has been a clear breeding development and thus a strong increase in pig performance. Based on these deviations, six new water consumption equations were established, which considered the variables body weight (BW), temperature, THI and feed consumption. It was found that the THI and BW should be included in one equation as predictor variables and the evaluation also showed good results. Its use, in practice, should also be considered. Overall, it became apparent that there is still a need for further research to make water consumption equations more precise. This would require a larger database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of fermented carrot by-product diets (FCBD) supplementation in fattening pigs on their growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality. Ninety-six crossed pigs (Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc), weighing approximately 76 kg, were divided into four groups of 8 heads (four barrows and four gilts) per pen, and the experiment was replicated thrice. The basal diet (C) was substituted with 3% (T1), 6% (T2) and 9% (T3) FCBD, and pigs were fed the experimental diet for 45 days. Feed efficiency was higher (푃 < 0.05) in T1 and T3 than in C. Quality grade was higher (푃 < 0.05) in T2 and T3 than in C, and the ratio of high-quality grades was higher in treatment groups than in C. Therefore, FCBD supplementation improved quality grade in fattening pigs, and it was expected that an increase in the utilization ratio of FCBD would reduce the cost of animal production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was to study the effect of whole strain of hybrid Broussonetia papyrifera fermented feed on the content and composition of amino acids in muscle of pigs. A total of 48 fattening pigs with similar weight were randomly selected and divided into two groups, with three replicates in each group and eight pigs in each replicate. The pigs in control group were fed with basic diet, and the pigs in test group were fed with 3% whole plant hybrid Broussonetia papyrifera fermentation feed instead of soybean meal. The test period was 60 d. The results showed that compared with control group, the average daily feed intake and average daily gain of the fattening pigs in test group decreased by 9.00% and 0.28%, respectively (P>0.05). Compared with control group, the content of leucine, lysine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, valine, glutamate, serine, glycine, citrulline, proline, arginine and methionine in the muscle of fattened pigs in test group were significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with control group, the total amino acid content in the longissimus dorsi muscle of the fattening pigs in test group increased by 18.59% (P<0.05), the essential amino acid content increased by 19.30% (P<0.05), and the flavor amino acid content increased by 19.90% (P<0.05). The scores of essential amino acids in muscle of finishing pigs in test group were higher than those in control group and WHO/FAO model. The study indicates that adding 3% whole plant fermented hybrid Broussonetia papyrifera feed to diet instead of protein feed for fattening pigs can increase the content of free amino acids in pork, improve the composition of protein amino acids, and effectively improve the flavor quality and nutritional value of pork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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There is a growing concern of consumers that the meat producing animals are bred, reared, handled and slaughtered in ways that are sympathetic to their welfare status. Good animal welfare is generally considered as a primary requirement and EU and national legislation is in force throughout the total production chain and everyday practice is above the minimum threshold level required. The relative importance of stress during animal production and in the immediate pre-slaughter period as a major determinant of ultimate meat quality has long been recognized. Good welfare may result in better product quality is a powerful additional commercial incentive to improve the way we rear, handle and slaughter animals. In the ante mortem period, good welfare usually results from careful handling of animals that reduces stress and trauma. In contrast, poor ante mortem handling leads to stress and results in poorer meat quality. Critical points within the pre-slaughter period are (a) loading, (b) transport, (c) lairage, (d) stunning.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a phytobiotic-prebiotic feed additive (PPFA, which contains a combination of chicory and extracts of carob pulp and fenugreek) in the diets of fattening pigs on growth indicators, carcass characteristics, and fecal microbiota. A total of 329 crossbred pigs were randomly divided into two dietary treatments, including a basal diet without additives as the control group and a basal diet supplemented with 1 kg/T PPFA as the trial group. The PPFA supplementation led to a significant increase in the body weight gain and average daily gain of the trial group compared to those of the control group after 70 days of feeding. Through the S-EUROP evaluation system, we also found that the fattening pigs fed PPFA significantly improved their carcass indicators. Furthermore, it was shown that PPFA regulated porcine intestinal microbiota, including promoting the growth of the beneficial commensal bacteria (i.e., Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus) while inhibiting some potential pathogen bacteria (i.e., Bacteroidaceae and Campylobacteraceae). Our work revealed that the phytobiotic-prebiotic feed additive containing carob pulp, chicory, and fenugreek positively influences the intestinal microbiota, growth performance, and carcass traits in fattening swine.

The use of anabolic–androgenic steroids (AASs) as growth promoters in farm animals is banned in the European Union, representing both an illicit practice and a risk for consumer health. However, these compounds are still illegally administered, often in the form of synthetic esters. This work aimed to characterize significant coding RNA perturbations related to the illicit administration of testosterone and nandrolone esters in fattening pigs. A total of 27 clinically healthy 90-day-old pigs were randomly assigned to test and control groups. Nine animals were treated with testosterone esters (Sustanon®) and other nine with nandrolone esters (Myodine®). At the end of the trial, liver samples were collected and analyzed using RNAseq, allowing the identification of 491 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The transcriptional signature was further characterized by a smaller sub-cluster of 143 DEGs, from which a selection of 16 genes was made. The qPCR analysis confirmed that the identified cluster could still give good discrimination between untreated gilt and barrows compared to the relative testosterone-treated counterparts. A conclusive field survey on 67 liver samples collected from pigs of different breeds and weight categories confirmed, in agreement with testosterone residue profiles, the specificity of selected transcriptional biomarkers, showing their potential applications for screening purposes when AAS treatment is suspected, allowing to focus further investigations of competent authorities and confirmatory analysis where needed.

Monitoring the activity of animals can help with assessing their health status. We monitored the walking activity of fattening pigs using a UHF-RFID system. Four hundred fattening pigs with UHF-RFID ear tags were recorded by RFID antennas at the troughs, playing devices and drinkers during the fattening period. A minimum walking distance, or virtual walking distance, was determined for each pig per day by calculating the distances between two consecutive reading areas. This automatically calculated value was used as an activity measure and not only showed differences between the pigs but also between different fattening stages. The longer the fattening periods lasted, the less walking activity was detected. The virtual walking distance ranged between 281 m on average in the first fattening stage and about 141 m in the last fattening stage in a restricted environment. The findings are similar to other studies considering walking distances of fattening pigs, but are far less labor-intensive and time-consuming than direct observations.

Abstract Little is known about how co-infections and genotype dynamics affect Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infection in fattening pigs. This study was aimed at assessing the role of co-infections in M. hyopneumoniae outbreaks, their influence on the presence of M. hyopneumoniae genotypes and their impact on consequent lung lesions. Tracheobronchial swabs (TBS) from 300 finishers were collected from 10 farms at the onset of enzootic pneumonia outbreaks and 1 month later, sampling of 3 groups per farm: Group A showed clinical signs first, Group B was housed near Group A, and Group C was located in a different building. Pigs’ lungs were scored at the slaughterhouse. TBS were tested for the main pathogens involved in respiratory diseases, and samples positive for M. hyopneumoniae were genotyped by multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). Pigs in Group A showed the highest prevalence and load of M. hyopneumoniae. A positive association was detected between M. hyopneumoniae and Mycoplasma hyorhinis, whereas Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae was more frequent when the M. hyopneumoniae load was higher. Nevertheless, co-infection had no effect on lung lesion scores. The presence of multiple MLVA types (mixed infections) increased in time only in pigs from Group C and was positively associated with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection. Lung lesions were more severe in pigs with at least one TBS positive for M. hyopneumoniae and in pigs with a history of mixed infections. The central role of M. hyopneumoniae and relevance of mixed infections suggest that increased biosecurity might be beneficial for lung lesion sequelae.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the assessment of animal welfare in slaughterhouses. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of slaughter-based measures as animal welfare indicators and evaluate the relationships between these indicators and the sociodemographic characteristics of livestock drivers and transport conditions for fattening pigs in a commercial slaughterhouse. A total of 1,161 heavy pigs (105.6 ± 14.15 kg), from 22 commercial farms, were evaluated. Pigs were assessed ante mortem, during lairaging, by evaluating the number, location, and color of skin lesions, tail length, and the presence or absence of biting lesions, lameness, cough, rectal or vaginal prolapse, and umbilical hernia. Pulmonary lesions, pleuritis, pericarditis, and liver lesions were also recorded postmortem. A descriptive analysis was performed on antemortem and postmortem indicators to estimate their prevalence, and the relationships among antemortem and postmortem indicators were analyzed using two multilevel mixed-effects models—a linear regression and a logistic regression analysis— with the farm of origin as a fixed effect. Cough was present in 18.9% (n = 219) of pigs, whereas the prevalence of tail biting lesions (4.6%, n = 53), rectal prolapse (0.1%, n = 11), and vaginal prolapse (0.1%, n = 11) was low. As regards lesion shape, linear lesions accounted for the majority of skin lesions (55.8%, n = 648), followed by comma-shaped (34.7%, n = 403), diffuse (6.9%, n = 80), and rectangular lesions (2.5%, n = 29). Only 25.2% (n = 512) of lesions were bright red. At postmortem, pulmonary lesions were noted in 34.2 ± 13.5 (mean ± SEM) pigs, and were more prevalent in the cranial (11.9 ± 4.9) and medium lobes (12.2 ± 5.2); the caudal (5.3 ± 2.7) and accessory lobes (1.6 ± 1.6) were less affected. The number of skin lesions was significantly associated with drivers’ age, job experience (years), and marital status (p ≤ 0.001). The presence or absence of tail lesions was strongly associated with the number of skin lesions, scoring of pulmonary lesions, and animal live weight (p ≤ 0.001). Antemortem and postmortem indicators at slaughterhouses with low annual slaughter volumes can provide key information for disease monitoring and animal welfare.

The experiment was to study the effect of rapeseed meal fermented by Aspergillus niger on growth performance, meat quality and serum biochemical indexes of finishing pigs. A total of 72 'Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire' finishing pigs with an average weight of 52 kg were randomly divided into four groups, with three replicates in each group, and six pigs in each replicate. The pigs in control group were fed with corn soybean meal based diet. Group 1, group 2 and group 3 used 6%, 8% and 10% fermented rapeseed meal to replace soybean meal in basic diet. The test period was 30 d. The results showed that compared with control group, the average daily feed intake of pigs in three test groups was significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with control group, the average daily weight gain of group 2 was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the feed to gain ratio was significantly decreased (P<0.05). The hydraulic capacit of group 3 were significantly higher than those of other groups (P<0.05). The backfat thickness of group 1 was significantly lower than that of control group (P<0.05). The crude fat content of group 3 was significantly higher than that of other groups (P<0.05), and the water content of group 2 was significantly higher than that of control group (P<0.05). Compared with control group, the content of BUN in pig serum of each test group was significantly reduced (P<0.05). The content of TP in serum of finishing pigs in group 3 was significantly higher than that of other groups, and the content of ALB in serum of group 2 and group 3 was significantly higher than that of group 1 and control group (P<0.05). The study indicates that fermented rapeseed meal can improve the quality of pork, significantly improve the growth performance of finishing pigs and the absorption and utilization of protein, and 8% replacement ratio is better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic feeding stations (EFS) are frequently used to automatically record feeding behaviour in pigs, but the resulting data often require cleansing. In this study, several filters were used to cleanse the data from an EFS on a commercial farm, spanning a period of 2147 days (2,709,600 records or visits, corresponding to 2748 pigs). The raw data of each animal was filtered based on three main parameters: fattening duration, feed ingested and live mass. Anomalies that affected EFS readings included aspects related to animal handling (e.g., changes of pen, deaths; affecting 26.1%), maintenance failures (e.g., obstructions, feed mass calibration; affecting 4.4%) and malfunctioning of the animal weighing scale (e.g., calibration, anomalies in the load cell; affecting 10.6%). A detailed analysis of the mass curves of each animal helped identify and categorise three typical errors: 1) large fluctuations of animal mass over a short period of time (affecting 7.3%); 2) poor calibration of the animal weighing scale (affecting 3.3%); and 3) absence of data from the weighing scale (affecting 1.9%). Once the raw data were filtered, feed efficiency was calculated, resulting in a mean value of 0.434, which is consistent with the literature. After filtering the first dataset, another dataset was used from the same farm to validate the results, with similar findings. Overall, the filtering methodology used helped to automate data analysis from EFS and improved the estimation of feeding efficiencies for individual animals. • EFS are frequently used to automatically record feed intake and mass of pigs. • An automated data cleansing process was developed to eliminate anomalous EFS data. • Anomalies were related to animal handling and weighing scale malfunctioning. • Data cleansing process produced reliable individual feed efficiency estimations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Due to social criticism of livestock farming, the "Initiative Animal Welfare" was founded in Germany to improve the conditions in which pigs are kept. At the same time, farmers were obliged to monitor animal welfare parameters which could be recorded directly on the animal, e.g., in the form of tail and ear lesions. Furthermore, there are resource-related animal welfare parameters, e.g., the water flow rate of the drinking troughs, which are to be measured. The aim of this study was to apply animal welfare parameters on farms and compare farms participating in the "Initiative Animal Welfare" with those not participating. The collected data was used to calculate the risk indicated by an animal welfare parameter deviating from the optimum. In addition, an overall score for the farms was calculated from the different animal welfare parameters recorded. It was found that the animal welfare farms did not perform better in terms of both the overall score and the risk of not finding a parameter in the optimum range. One reason for this may be that the farms worked at a very high level in both types of husbandry and thus the improvement in husbandry conditions in the farms with better animal welfare conditions was not measurable. In the course of social criticism of fattening pig farming, an animal welfare programme called "Initiative Animal Welfare" (ITW) was founded to increase animal welfare in pig farming in Germany. Furthermore, there is a legal obligation to record animal welfare parameters as a self-monitoring measure. The "German Association for Technology and Structures in Agriculture" published a guideline on the applicable animal welfare criteria. This guide formed the basis of this study's data collection. The aim was to apply the animal welfare parameters on farms by comparing the results between farms participating in ITW with those not participating. A cumulative score was calculated by evaluating the collected data. In addition, the relative risk was calculated in order to estimate the risk of finding a negative expression of a parameter. Our data show that ITW farms did not perform significantly better than the farms without ITW in terms of both the cumulative score and the relative risk. Overall, it must be considered that in both farm variants the occurrence of negative evaluations was very rare and the visited farms thus certainly can be considered to be well-managed farms. Climate parameters were recorded in each compartment and showed no significant differences in most cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about how co-infections and genotype dynamics affect Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infection in fattening pigs. This study was aimed at assessing the role of co-infections in M. hyopneumoniae outbreaks, their influence on the presence of M. hyopneumoniae genotypes and their impact on consequent lung lesions. Tracheobronchial swabs (TBS) from 300 finishers were collected from 10 farms at the onset of enzootic pneumonia outbreaks and 1 month later, sampling of 3 groups per farm: Group A showed clinical signs first, Group B was housed near Group A, and Group C was located in a different building. Pigs' lungs were scored at the slaughterhouse. TBS were tested for the main pathogens involved in respiratory diseases, and samples positive for M. hyopneumoniae were genotyped by multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). Pigs in Group A showed the highest prevalence and load of M. hyopneumoniae. A positive association was detected between M. hyopneumoniae and Mycoplasma hyorhinis, whereas Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae was more frequent when the M. hyopneumoniae load was higher. Nevertheless, co-infection had no effect on lung lesion scores. The presence of multiple MLVA types (mixed infections) increased in time only in pigs from Group C and was positively associated with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection. Lung lesions were more severe in pigs with at least one TBS positive for M. hyopneumoniae and in pigs with a history of mixed infections. The central role of M. hyopneumoniae and relevance of mixed infections suggest that increased biosecurity might be beneficial for lung lesion sequelae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emission of ammonia (NH3) is predominantly caused by agriculture, especially by livestock keeping. The health effects of NH3 and the related formation of particulate matter are the reasons for solid efforts to reduce their ambient concentrations. In addition, the impact of global warming on livestock is increasing due to heat stress, likely also increasing NH3 emissions. Therefore, adaptation measures are under discussion to reduce the heat stress of animals inside livestock units. Because of the relationship between temperature increase and NH3 release, the impact of the adaptation measures to cool the indoor air of livestock units (three different energy-saving air preparation systems, an inversion of the feeding and resting times by half a day, a reduction of the stocking density and doubling the maximum volume flow rate) was investigated. The NH3 release was calculated by the following predictors: indoor air temperature; ventilation rate describing the turbulence inside the livestock building; and the diurnal variation caused by the animal activity. These parameters were calculated by a simulation model for the indoor climate of livestock buildings. The monthly mean of the NH3 emission for several adaptation measures, which were applied to reduce heat stress, were compared with the emission of a reference building for 1800 fattening pigs, divided into nine sections with 200 animals each for an all-in-all-out production cycle to calculate the mitigation potential. The higher the cooling power of such adaptation measures, the higher the mitigation potential for NH3. In particular, those adaptation measures which cool the inlet air (e.g., cooling pads reduce the emission by −2%, earth-air heat exchangers by −3.1%) show the best performance to mitigate the NH3 emission of livestock buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scientific and economic experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Institute – Shumen, with fattening pigs of the Danube White breed. The duration of the experiment was 36 days. The animals were divided into two groups (control and experimental) of 13 animals, fed and bred in individual pens. Apple pectin was added to the feed of the pigs in the experimental group in the amount of 7 g per capita daily. The experiment started at an average live weight of 58.317 kg–58.846 kg and ended at 101.000 kg–100.831 kg, respectively, for the pigs of the control and experimental groups. The aim of the experiment was to determine the effect of apple pectin supplementation on productivity, health status and some blood parameters in fattening pigs. Supplementation of 7 g of apple pectin per capita daily in compound feeds of fattening pigs had no positive effect on pig growth rate and feed utilization. Pigs receiving a supplement of 7 g per capita daily of apple pectin in the daily ration had 12.02% lower fat thickness measured at x2 point and 2.1% greater thickness in m. long. dorsi. The inclusion of apple pectin increased the number of lymphocytes by 7.162 G/L and reduces the levels of triglycerides and ”bad cholesterol”, with a direct impact on the immune defense and the health status of the circulatory system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Commission requested scientific and technical assistance in the preparation of a EU‐wide baseline survey protocol for a European Union (EU) coordinated monitoring programme on the prevalence of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in pigs. The objective of the survey is to estimate the MRSA prevalence in batches of fattening pigs at slaughter at both European and national levels, with a 95% level of confidence and a level of precision of 10% considering an expected prevalence of 50%. The survey protocol defines the target population, the sample size for the survey, sample collection requirements, the analytical methods (for isolation, identification, phenotypic susceptibility testing and further genotypic testing of MRSA isolates), the data reporting requirements and the plan of analysis. The samples are to be analysed according to the laboratory protocols available on the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL‐AR) website. Generalised linear models will be used to estimate proportion (with 95% confidence intervals) of batches of slaughter pigs tested positive to MRSA. The necessary data to be reported by the EU Member States to support this baseline survey are presented in three data models. The results of the survey should be reported using the EFSA data collection framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cellular toxicity of the Fusarium mycotoxin fumonisins (FUMs) has been widely accounted for. However, the ability of FUMs to destroy intestinal functions is an emergence of growing concern. Thus, this experiment ascertained whether dietary FUMs obstruct the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AAs) in fattening pigs during either short (7 d)- or long (21 d)-term exposure. Ten Danbred fattening pigs (initial body weight (BW) of 67.5 ± 4.1) inserted with a post-valve T-cecum cannula in the terminal ileum were enrolled in the trial. The pigs were randomly divided into a control group fed a basal commercial diet and a group fed in vitro-produced FUMs to provide a 40 mg FUMs/kg-contaminated diet. Titanium dioxide was added at an inclusion rate of 0.5% as an indigestible marker to diets. During two separate periods, ileal digesta were collected for 3 consecutive days for the determination of the AID of CP and the various dispensable and indispensable AAs. Data were subjected to two-way ANOVA of SPSS version 20.0 software using FUMs dose (i = 2; 0 or 40 mg FUMs/ kg feed) and duration (j = 2; short- vs. long-term exposure) as fixed factors. According to our findings, a dietary intake of 40 mg/kg FUMs substantially interfered with the AID of arginine, histidine, and tyrosine (p = 0.003, 0.047, and 0.047, respectively) in terms of the dose and duration interaction effect. In addition, the main duration effect of the AID of histidine was significant (p < 0.001). It is, therefore, conceivable that a dietary dose of a 40 mg/kg FUMs-contaminated diet does not drastically affect CP and AAs digestibility in fattening pigs over a period of 7 or 21 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine effects of lung lesions on carcass quality and hematological parameters of slaughter pigs. The group of pigs with lung lesion score 2 had significantly lower live weight, hot carcass weight and cold carcass weight compared to the group of pigs with lung lesion score 0 (P0.05). The total number of red blood cells, concentrations of hemoglobin and hematocrit showed significantly lower mean values in the group of pigs with lung lesions score 2 (P0.05). In conclusion, the results showed that lung lesions in fattening pigs had negative impact on carcass quality and hematological parameters.

This study aimed to demonstrate the application of process mining on video data of pigs, facilitating the analysis of behavioral patterns. Video data were collected over a period of 5 days from a pig pen in a mechanically ventilated barn and used for analysis. The approach in this study relies on a series of individual steps to allow process mining on this data set. These steps include object detection and tracking, spatiotemporal activity recognition in video data, and process model analysis. Each step gives insights into pig behavior at different time points and locations within the pen, offering increasing levels of detail to describe typical pig behavior up to process models reflecting different behavior sequences for clustered datasets. Our data-driven approach proves suitable for the comprehensive analysis of behavioral sequences in conventional pig farming.

Abstract Background The aim of the study was to test the effect of replacing soya beans with pea and yellow lupin seeds in the diet of pigs on meat quality. The meat for the tests was obtained from 60 fattening crossbred pigs F1 (Polish Large White × Polish Landrace) × F1 (Pietrain × Duroc). The animals belonged to three feeding groups depending on the feed used with the total share of soybeans and its reduction. Water holding capacity, colour, and tenderness were measured and visual and tactile evaluation (colour, marbling and firmness) was performed for meat samples collected from the longissimus lumborum muscle. The chemical composition of the meat and the content of minerals were determined. The content of amino acids, fatty acids and cholesterol was determined. Results There was no significant differences among the assessed physicochemical characteristics of the meat. The obtained meat was of good quality, regardless of the proportion of proteins from legumes in the diet of pigs. The results of the subjective evaluation of meat, its colour, and the content of muscle pigments were uniform in all food groups. Similarly, a uniform, high protein content was found in all tested groups (C—24.98%; E1—24.82%; E2—25.09%) and the content of macro- and micronutrients in the tested meat was equivalent. The profile of fatty acids was not significantly affected by dietary treatment. Palmitoleic acid content was significantly higher (P

Abstract The European Commission requested scientific and technical assistance in the preparation of a EU‐wide baseline survey protocol for a European Union (EU) coordinated monitoring programme on the prevalence of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in pigs. The objective of the survey is to estimate the MRSA prevalence in batches of fattening pigs at slaughter at both European and national levels, with a 95% level of confidence and a level of precision of 10% considering an expected prevalence of 50%. The survey protocol defines the target population, the sample size for the survey, sample collection requirements, the analytical methods (for isolation, identification, phenotypic susceptibility testing and further genotypic testing of MRSA isolates), the data reporting requirements and the plan of analysis. The samples are to be analysed according to the laboratory protocols available on the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL‐AR) website. Generalised linear models will be used to estimate proportion (with 95% confidence intervals) of batches of slaughter pigs tested positive to MRSA. The necessary data to be reported by the EU Member States to support this baseline survey are presented in three data models. The results of the survey should be reported using the EFSA data collection framework.

Intensive pig farming is a main contributor to ammonia (NH 3) emissions. Urease inhibitors block the conversion of the excreted urea into ammonium and may reduce effectively these emissions at the housing level. This study evaluated the effect of applying a urease inhibitor in a naturally ventilated and fully slatted pig house. Emissions were compared using two approaches: in-time evaluation and case-control approach. Two identical rooms in size and management were used in this experiment. Seventy growing pigs of 70 kg weight were placed in each room. One room was treated with the urease inhibitor EBN (based on phosphorodiamidate) during 12 days (treatment phase) at a rate of 0.17 mL m−2 day−1. The study also included a pre-treatment phase of 2 days and a post-treatment phase of 15 days. Temperature and concentrations of NH 3 and carbon dioxide (CO 2) were recorded every 2 min, and then aggregated on an hourly basis. Natural ventilation rate was calculated using the CO 2 balance method. The case-control approach showed more reliable results since only two days were available for the in-time approach. On average, emissions were reduced by 29% over the treatment phase. After each application, the maximum abatement potential was found between 4 and 14 h after application of the inhibitor. This study was conducted under specific farm and climate conditions. More studies are needed to confirm the abatement potential in a wider range of situations. • A urease inhibitor was tested in a naturally ventilated pig farm in summer conditions. • In-time evaluation and case-control approach were used to assess the mitigation potential. • Urease inhibitor reduced ammonia emission by 29%. • Response time of ammonia abatement after application was quantified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cardoon seeds presscake is a natural by-product resulting from the mechanical treatment of the cardoon plant seeds. The chemical composition suggests its possible use in animal nutrition due to the content of proteins, fibre, lipids and biologically active substances. The presscake studied contained 7.1% of fat, 26.8% of fibre, 23.9% of protein, 37.1% of nitrogen-free extract and a goodly phenolic content (13.36 mg GAE g−1 DW). The major fatty acids were oleic (26.5%) and linoleic (58.4%), showing a high degree of unsaturation. This study evaluated for the first time the inclusion of the cardoon presscake in pigs' diet. The effects of the dietary treatment on meat quality and fatty acids profile were assessed. The results indicate that the intramuscular fat (IMF) was higher in the untreated animals. The monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) were lower in the IMF of the treated pigs, whereas the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Saliva is a sample with a high potential in pigs since it is usually easy to obtain and its collection from animals causes less stress than blood sampling. However, the possible effects of daily variations in many salivary biomarkers are still unknown in this species. In our report, the possible variations depending on the sampling time in the day in a panel of 26 salivary biomarkers related to stress, immune system, redox status and other physiological functions in the saliva of pigs were evaluated. In our experimental conditions, daily variations were observed in cortisol, α-amylase, total esterase, butyrylcholinesterase, lipase, adenosine deaminase isoenzyme 1, uric acid, superoxide dismutase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, triglycerides and lactate. In some analytes, these differences appeared in both sexes, whereas others only showed differences in one sex. These variations should be taken into consideration for an appropriate interpretation of these analytes in the saliva of healthy pigs. This study aims to evaluate the possible variations due to the sampling time in the day in 26 analytes of pigs' saliva, related to stress, the immune system, redox status and other biomarkers related to metabolism and selected tissues and organs, in order to know the possible effects of the hour of the day in their interpretation. These analytes were measured in saliva obtained from a population of 40 clinically healthy pigs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., every 4 h in the same day. In our experimental conditions, daily variations were observed in cortisol, salivary α-amylase, total esterase activity, butyrylcholinesterase, lipase, adenosine deaminase isoenzyme 1, uric acid, superoxide dismutase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, lactate and triglycerides. These changes appeared in both sexes, except for adenosine deaminase isoenzyme 1 and superoxide dismutase which only showed differences in females. In conclusion, this report indicates that, in the experimental conditions of this trial, the time of the day and sex can influence the values obtained in various salivary analytes in pigs. These variations should thus be taken into consideration for an adequate interpretation of these analytes when used for the evaluation of health and welfare in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a panel of 29 salivary biomarkers of stress, immunity, inflammation, redox homeostasis and other physiological functions can change in healthy fattening pigs when monitoring the different phases of their productive cycle and can be influenced by various sources of variations such as gender and performance parameters. Several analytes showed changes due to the productive cycle, with a majority of the analytes showing higher values at lactation and at the beginning of nursery. Additionally, differences were seen due to sex. These differences can be related in some cases with performance parameters and should be taken into consideration for an appropriate interpretation of the analytes. A comprehensive panel of 29 salivary analytes was measured in fattening pigs to evaluate its possible changes along their productive cycle. The identification of those changes would allow a better interpretation of the results according to the productive phase of the animal. Saliva samples were obtained from 49 Large-White pigs (24 females, 25 males) in suckling phase, at the beginning and the end of the nursery phase, and at the beginning and the end of the growing phase. Several analytes changed according to the phase of the productive cycle, with most of the analytes showing higher values at lactation and at the beginning of nursery. Additionally, differences were seen due to sex. When possible relations between performance parameters and analytes were evaluated, significant positive but weak relationships were found between weight at birth and salivary γ-glutamyl transferase, and between back-fat thickness and salivary lactate dehydrogenase. In conclusion, differences in the values of salivary analytes can be found in fattening pigs depending on the productive phase and sex of the animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helminth infections of swine regain clinical and economic importance due to the increasing demand for pork from extensive husbandry. Infections with Trichuris suis in pigs can lead to wasting and diarrhoea. This was demonstrated by a case of clinical trichurosis on a conventional fattening farm, where pigs were kept on pasture. While all pre-fattening pigs, which had not been on the pasture yet, had a good body condition and firm faeces, diarrhoea and poor body condition were observed in approximately half of the fattening pigs kept on pasture. Rectally collected faecal samples from all animals were investigated using faecal flotation. High numbers of T. suis eggs were detected in 17 out of 32 faecal samples, while all samples from pre-fattening pigs were negative. The highest number of eggs per gram of faeces was 778,000. Two out of three environmental samples were also positive for T. suis in faecal flotation. This case demonstrates that T. suis must be considered as an enteropathogen in pigs kept on pasture, as favourable environmental conditions, and the lack of removal of faeces from a pasture can lead to the accumulation of large numbers of infective eggs in the pigs' surroundings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study determined the impacts of dietary fermented residues' (FBR) inclusion on growth, nutrient utilization, carcass characteristics, and meat properties in fattening pigs. Seventy-two robust pigs were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire, thirty-six pigs each). Each group was subjected to a 52-day trial, during which they received either a corn-soybean meal-based diet or diet enhanced with a 10% addition of FBR. Consequently, adding 10% FBR caused a significant decrease in the digestive utilization of crude dietary components in fattening pigs ( p < 0.05) but showed no significant impact on the growth performance. Additionally, FBR inclusion increased the marbling scores ( p < 0.05) and total antioxidant functions ( p < 0.05) of muscle tissues, indicating improved meat quality. Gender affected backfat depth, with barrows showing thicker backfat depth. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 10% FBR in finishing pigs influenced the meat quality by improving the marbling score and antioxidant performance while reducing digestibility without compromising growth performance.