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Teagasc Pig Production Model

Julia Adriana Calderón Díaz, Laurence Shalloo, Michael McKeon, Ger McCutcheon, Alan Bohan, Edgar Garcia Manzanilla

Research Impact Highlights 2018

Industry impact: Teagasc has already developed stochastic simulation economic models for dairy, beef and sheep. With the development of the Teagasc Pig Production Model (TPPM), Teagasc has economic models for all the main livestock industries available. These models produce very reliable economic predictions of the studied scenarios and help in the prioritisation of actions. In addition to the model, user-friendly decision tools have been developed for the farmers. The TPPM has been built with data from more than 60 commercial pig farms in close collaboration with farmers and advisors. It has already been used for cost–benefit analysis of the main options considered by farmers under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS), to quantify the effects of different pathologies commonly found in Irish pig farms (Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), flu, enzootic pneumonia and pleuropneumonia), and is now being used to optimise diet formulation and feeding practices. The TPPM was developed in collaboration with members of the ProHealth FP7 project (EU funded).

Correspondence: julia.calderondiaz@teagasc.ie

Contribution of non-research stakeholders: More than 50% of farmers included in the Teagasc eProfit Monitor have donated their data; and private veterinary practitioners, nutritionists, abattoirs and all pig advisors have contributed with different information required.

Other contributors and collaborators: Jarkko Niemi (LUKE, Finland) and Ilias Kyriazakis (Newcastle University, UK).

Funding: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine project PathSurvPigs 14/S/832 and Teagasc grant-in-aid project TPPM ref 0057.