Biosecurity & nutrition: the foundation of pig farming success

JD Mostert, a consulting swine nutritionist at CS Vet, and Dr Stefan Steyn, a veterinarian at Afrivet, shared their expertise with Sinenhlanhla Mncwango, delving into why biosecurity and nutrition are critical pillars in establishing and maintaining a productive pig farm geared for long-term success.

In the realm of pig farming, biosecurity isn’t just best practice; it’s a necessity. For South African farmers, the risks posed by diseases like African swine fever (ASF) and foot and-mouth disease (FMD) demand rigorous biosecurity measures from the very beginning.

Yet biosecurity is only one component of a successful pig farm. To thrive in a competitive market and meet the criteria of local and international buyers, farmers must also ensure nutritional standards and sustainable practices are prioritised.

To delve deeper into these essentials of pig farming, JD Mostert, a consulting swine nutritionist at CS Vet, and Dr Stefan Steyn, a technical and regulatory veterinarian at Afrivet, share their insights with Farmer’s Weekly.

BIOSECURITY: THE NONNEGOTIABLE FOUNDATION

Mostert emphasises the importance of biosecurity in pig farming: “If you don’t have biosecurity, don’t start farming pigs at all.”

The primary role of biosecurity is to act as a prevention barrier, stopping disease from entering the farm. Should disease make its way onto the farm, however, biosecurity then acts as a protection barrier, stopping the spread of the disease among all the animals in the herd. Steyn says biosecurity involves “physical and procedural barriers between the farm and the biological challenges of the outside world”.

In the case of ASF, for example, the disease can spread rapidly if robust biosecurity measures are not in place. As ASF has a high mortality rate, farmers can expect to lose most, if not all, of their pigs. This is obviously devastating to the farmer’s operation and could lead to the farmer having to exit the industry.

In diseases like FMD, which does not have a high mortality rate, biosecurity measures are equally important. FMD can result in reduced production, compromised feed intake and decreased feed conversion efficiency, causing massive economic losses for farmers.