Simulation Modelling To Provide Insights Into The Optimization Of Delivery Weights Of Finisher Pigs

Decisions on slaughter weight and timing of slaughter might be as old as pigs production itself. Hence, these questions have repeatedly been studied by researchers in the past. It has been a side result of studies focusing on profit maximisation per unit of time from batch production (Heady et al., 1976; Kawaguchi and Kennedy, 1989), and it received more attention in studies by ( Chavas et al., 1985; Jolly et al., 1980; Boland et al., 1993; Niemi, 2006; Boys et al., 2007 Niemi et al., 2010; Kristensen et al., 2012). The research questions on optimal slaughter weight mainly focused on 1) differences in optimal delivery weight and optimal feeding decisions provoked by animal performance,2) optimal slaughter weight under various market circumstances and 3) losses from suboptimal delivery of finisher pigs for the farmer when pig herds are heterogeneous. While these historic studies answered these questions starting from different premises and assumptions on the technical and economic context in which the slaughter decisions were to be made, some general insights into the questions ,outlined above, could be derived.