Pig Development Unit Research
Challenges
facing the pig industry including environmental and animal welfare legislation
as well as high production costs and poor pig prices means that there is
increasing demand for new knowledge and solutions to problems at farm level.
The research aspect of the Pig Production Development Unit based at Moorepark Research Centre, Fermoy, Co. Cork is equipped to meet this demand. Currently there are 4.5 researchers, 6 graduate students (Walsh Fellows), 4 technical staff and 7 stockpersons. The pig unit in Moorepark houses 280 sows, 5 boars, 500 suckling piglets, 1050 weaners and 1300 finishing pigs. Facilities also include a feed mill and laboratories for feed and sample analysis. Animal experimental facilities included accommodations for individual, pairs or groups of growing-finishing pigs.
The Teagasc Pig Development Unit Advisory staff are instrumental in transferring new knowledge from research to the pig industry and in facilitating on-farm research.
For a complete summary of facilities, management practices and research programme click HERE (105KB PDF Format).
For a complete list of current projects click HERE.
Publications
Research Reports
End of project reports
On completion of a project an End of Project Report is published (see examples below)
- A study of protein and amino acid nutrition of growing pigs (179KB PDF Format)
- Enhancement of pigmeat quality by altering pre-slaughter management (215KB PDF Format)
- Studies on growth rates and the effect of birth weight (208KB PDF Format)
