Pigs & Poultry

Reducing stress at Weaning
Gerard McCutcheon discusses the challenges and management strategies involved in weaning piglets, emphasizing the benefits of older weaning, reducing stress, and potential future developments to improve piglet growth and well-being.
11 October 2024

Growing Rye: A win-win for tillage and pig producers
Michael Hennessy, Teagasc Crops Department, and Michael McKeon, Teagasc Pig Department, discuss the potential for increased cooperation between Ireland's pig and tillage sectors by growing more rye, which benefits both pig diets and crop production, promoting a strong circular economy.
04 October 2024

What you need to know about the Nutrient Importation Storage Scheme
For this episode of The Pig Edge, we're joined by Specialised Pig Advisor, Emer McCrum, to explore what the new the Nutrient Importation Storage Scheme (NISS) means for pig producers and how it could impact their business.
29 September 2024

Slurry Spreading - Advice for Farmers and Slurry Contractors
As the slurry spreading season comes to a close across the country over the coming days, Noel Meehan and Sinead Devaney of the Teagasc ASSAP Programme explain why it is very important that farmers and agricultural contractors apply slurry very carefully so as to prevent nutrient losses to water.
27 September 2024

30th Teagasc Pig Farmers’ Conference: Marking a milestone
The 30th Teagasc Pig Farmers’ Conference is set to take place on October 22nd at the Horse and Jockey Hotel in County Tipperary, followed by a session on October 23rd at Farnham Estate, Cavan.
27 September 2024

Apply now for the Farm Technician and Farm Manager Apprenticeships
Amy Quinn of the Teagasc Pig Development Department tells us about apprenticeship programmes, which offer education and career pathways in the pig sector.
20 September 2024

A twist in the tail
Keelin O’Driscoll and Roberta D’Alessio write about the tail-biting risk assessment scheme for Irish pig farms, aimed at identifying farm-specific risk factors, and how efforts are underway to refine the tool for improved accuracy.
13 September 2024

Farmers’ and vets’ opinions sought on animal health disease and biosecurity for European study
Farmers and veterinarians in Ireland are being asked to add their voices to a cross-European exercise to find out what animal diseases are of most concern to the agricultural community.
10 September 2024

Is your crude protein costing you?
Kieran Keane writes about variations in crude protein content, which can substantially impact diet formulation costs and effectiveness.
06 September 2024
Animal welfare in focus at international conference
The 9th International Conference on the Welfare Assessment of Animals at Farm and Group Level (WAFL) takes place over the next two days in Florence, Italy.
30 August 2024

Farm safety: Farm construction and work at height
Louise Clarke emphasises the importance of prioritising health and safety on pig farms, particularly during maintenance and repair work, to prevent accidents and fatalities.
23 August 2024

Empty days - a hidden but very real cost
Louise Clarke and Ciarán Carroll discuss how "non-productive days" (NPDs) in breeding sows impact herd efficiency and profitability, emphasizing the importance of managing factors like "not in pig" sows (NIPs), repeat breeding, and environmental conditions to minimize NPDs and improve productivity.
16 August 2024

The importance of pellet quality
Peadar Lawlor discusses the benefits and challenges of feeding pigs pelleted diets, emphasizing the importance of minimizing fines to improve feed conversion ratio (FCR) and reduce feed costs.
09 August 2024

The latest on breeding and reproduction
This month’s Pig Edge is focusing on breeding and reproduction and Amy Quinn is joined by Teagasc Specialised Pig Advisor, Emer McCrum, to share her thoughts and experiences on the common themes and issues from around the country.
02 August 2024

Moorepark Pig Unit Mid-Year Performance Highlights
In the latest update from Moorepark Unit's Pig Research Facility, Aisling Holmes presents key figures for the first half of 2024, showing continued progress in pig production metrics.
02 August 2024

Keeping accurate records to become a top producer
Ciarán Carroll, Head of Knowledge Transfer, Pig Development Department, tells us why one of the major differences between top producers and those who strive for the top is in how they keep and analyse their records.
12 July 2024

Beat the Heat: Keeping cool this summer
Although the weather to date has proved disappointing with average temperatures below normal for this time of year, current predictions indicate that temperatures in July, August and September will trend above normal. Emer McCrum tells us how to beat the heat on farm.
05 July 2024

Too much of a good thing!
Michael McKeon tells us that over the last few months the main topic of conversation for pig groups has concerned pig manure storage and spreading.
28 June 2024

Farm Fresh Turkeys Biosecurity
As we approach the time for considering placing Christmas turkeys on farm, it is important to be prepared for these young birds arriving. It is crucial to consider the management and biosecurity around these new stock on your farm. Rebecca Tierney, Poultry Adviser, tells us more.
27 June 2024

Safety during Busy Times on the Farm
The summer is some of the busiest times on Irish farms with many essential activities taking place. Children are on holidays from school and may be out and about on farms. Martina Donnelly discusses ways to stay safe during this busy time.
27 June 2024
A summary of the National Pig Herd Performance Report 2023
Gerard McCutcheon gives a summary of the 2023 National Pig Herd Performance Report.
21 June 2024

The potential for Precision Livestock Farming to improve pig health and welfare
Florence Viard & Keelin O’Driscoll tell us about a recent workshop as part of the TailBiteAdvice project: An ICT-based real-time advisory tool to minimise tail biting in fattening pigs.
14 June 2024

The 2023 Teagasc National Pig Herd Performance Report
The 2023 Teagasc National Pig Herd Performance Report has just been released, revealing some notable changes in our key performance indicators for the 2023 year.
12 June 2024

What sets the top performing pig farms apart?
Compiled by the Teagasc Pig Development Department, an analysis of the performance of the pig farms that participated in the Teagasc Profit Monitor recording system in 2023 has highlighted some key trends.
11 June 2024

Using pig slurry to reduce fertiliser costs and inputs
Gerard McCutcheon, John Mahon & Mark Plunkett tell us how the Moores' pig farm integrates sustainable practices, including efficient manure management, to enhance both economic viability and environmental sustainability.
07 June 2024

Sound the alarm
Kieran Keane, Teagasc Pig Development Department, discusses why it is important to regularly test and review ventilation and feed system alarms on farms, ensure all links in the notification chain work properly, and consider using remote access apps cautiously to address issues promptly and safely.
31 May 2024

Comprehensive research programme showcased at Teagasc Pig Open Day
The Teagasc Pig Development Department held its Pig Open Day this week in two locations, Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research & Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork on Wednesday, May 22, and today, May 24, in Ballyhaise Agricultural College, Co. Cavan.
24 May 2024

Pig Open Day to feature real-time showcasing of herd management system
Taking place over two venues on May 22 in Teagasc Moorepark, and May 24 in Ballyhaise Agricultural College, the Teagasc Pig Open Day will feature the real-time showcasing of the herd management system being used by Teagasc researchers.
21 May 2024

A Preview of the Teagasc Pig Open Day 2024
The Teagasc pig team are in the final stages of preparation for their research event, the Pig Open Day 2024.
17 May 2024

Financial benefit of a good litters per sow per year
Litters per sow per year is an important key performance indicator (KPI) that farmers should benchmark themselves with and try to improve in order to minimise production costs and maintain competitiveness, writes Louise Clarke, Teagasc Pig Development Officer.
10 May 2024