Pig delivery weight optimization: revitalizing an old paradigm?

Frederik Leen

    Research output: ThesisDoctoral dissertation - Doctoral dissertationpeer-review

    Abstract

    The decision-making context for pig farmers has become more complex, due to globalization, liberalization and increased societal concerns and expectations for pig production. In this context, decisions about the optimal timing of delivery and slaughter weight of finisher pigs have to be made. In this thesis it was investigated whether and how the timing of and weight at delivery can be optimized in a business-economic manner (slaughter weight optimization, SO) within the current management of the pig farm. This resulted in a simulation model that describes the evolution of the gross margin per fattening pig and per pig place unit per year, taking into account the limited availability of data on animal performance on farms. To obtain this model, existing scientific knowledge was compared and combined with practical knowledge provided by stakeholders in a participatory process. In collaboration between researchers and stakeholders, the problem was defined, the model was validated and the obtained insights were discussed. The simulation results confirmed the importance of the barn turnover rate in SO. Because barn turnover is influenced by business decisions on the longer term, SO must first be considered for this longer term, in a strategic framework. The evolutions in gross margin with increasing fattening duration were characterized by successive plateaus with low variation around the optimum, mainly determined by the payment schedule of the slaughterhouse. The relatively flat evolution in the highest payment zone provides some flexibility in SO. In addition, this also indicates the relatively lower importance of accurate SO compared to other management decisions such as feed optimization and choice of genetics. Which are decisions that can raise the gross margin to a higher level. In the light of technological progress towards more accurate process optimization, the balancing of strategic and operational economic added value will increase in importance. Due to the relatively limited added value of detailed SO, decision support tools must be inexpensive to use, to justify their application in practise.
    Translated title of the contributionOptimaliseren van het aflevergewicht van vleesvarkens: een nieuw elan voor een oud paradigma?
    Original languageEnglish
    Awarding Institution
    • Universiteit Gent
    Supervisors/Advisors
    • Lauwers, Ludwig, Supervisor
    • Millet, Sam, Supervisor
    • Van Meensel, Jef, Supervisor
    Award date19-Dec-2017
    Place of PublicationGent
    Publisher
    Print ISBNs978-94-6357-061-9
    Publication statusPublished - 19-Dec-2017

    Keywords

    • B400-animal-husbandry
    • S187-agricultural-economics

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