It has been 10 years in the making, but I can now officially class our pig unit as ‘indoor’. Life, dare I say it, seems a little easier. But was it the right move at a time when animal welfare on pig units is scrutinised like never before? That is my debate.
To add some context, I joined the business in 2015, at a time when the unit was outdoors. It was, generally, a successful unit, but production was rarely consistent, meaning cashflow was never guaranteed.
I extensively researched indoor systems and the benefits of a more controlled environment, and concluded that this was the direction we needed to be heading in. And, so, as my influence in the company steadily grew, I gradually shifted everything indoors.
We have been a fully indoor unit for nearly six months now and have already experienced many trials and tribulations. So, was it the right move?
Production
Production with the sow herd has definitely become more stable, but to say it has ‘stabilised’ would be a lie.
The hope was that by having a controlled environment, key variables, such as the weather, would be negated. However, we are still experiencing inconsistent farrowing rates, with some correlation to recent weather extremes.
Poor results could also be linked to a change in grain, so additional mycotoxin binders have been added to the feed.
So, while production has slightly improved, it has not reached the levels I had expected.
Scores: Outdoor: 6/10, Indoor 7/10.
Efficiency
The greatest gains have definitely been made with efficiency. Every job on the farm now is almost always finished in the desired timeframe.
Whereas, on the outdoor unit, jobs such as rounding up a batch of sows to farrow would take anywhere between three and five hours. Now it takes just over two hours. It is the same with vaccinations, mucking out, bedding and feeding.
The day’s flow is a lot more constant, which everyone seems to like. There are now pockets of time to spend talking and planning, and getting long-standing repairs done.
Scores: Outdoor 5/10, Indoor 9/10.
Animal health and welfare
Our sows had vast outdoor paddocks and this, by modern-day standards, was considered ‘high welfare’. Yet I see far more tails wagging on sows in their new dry sow building than I ever did when they were outside. They seem far more content and, as such, far easier to manage.
They enjoy human interaction, whereas before they seemed wary of it. We have more control over their feed intakes, so maintaining a healthy condition is very easy. Vaccinations are simple and stress-free.
I admit, I did enjoy seeing them outside, but only when they weren’t wading through two inches of water or frying in 30˚C+ heat. And health stability is still an issue, with one recent group randomly showing signs of parvovirus at farrowing.
Scores: Outdoor 7/10, Indoor 8/10.
Staff
While production was a key driver in becoming an indoor unit, staff welfare was also very important. Like me, they had grown tired of constantly bedding up sows in winter and refilling wallow holes in the summer.
When we came indoors, they immediately loved the new structured system, but I would say their initial excitement has wavered.
I think they miss the challenge of an outdoor system. For example, rounding up sows outside required exceptional stockperson skills.
And there was also an element of freedom being outside, which was definitely an attraction when recruiting staff, too.
Scores: Outdoor 7/10, Indoor 7/10.
Personal health and wellbeing
Managing a pig unit is undoubtedly rewarding, but also very stressful. I live on the site, so there is no such thing as a break.
When we had outdoor sows, I would often go to close my curtains in the evening and immediately see a job that needed doing (usually a water trough overflowing or a broken wire).
This made it impossible to switch off. Now, though, it is very much a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, and I can relax more.
Stress is absolutely still present, but in a different format. I am definitely fearful that by being labelled indoor, we are more at risk of unwanted animal rights attention.
However, within our industry, I probably have to accept that this is now just a sad part of life.
Scores: Outdoor 6/10, Indoor 8/10.
Overall
For us, the transition to indoor has been the right decision, particularly if we are to continue being viable. It has been expensive, but definitely necessary.
Final scores: Outdoor 6/10, Indoor 8/10.