A number of star awards were presented for innovative products aimed to help the pig sector at the recent Agromek Show in Denmark.
Just over 40,000 visitors attended the four-day event in Herning, recognised as northern Europe’s largest agricultural trade fair, writes Chris McCullough. The last Agromek Show was held in 2018, but the biennial successor, due to have been staged in 2020, was a casualty of the Covid pandemic.
JH Agro – HyppigUdslusning system
One of the seven top Agromek Awards, and recipient of a two star award, was JH Agro for its JH HyppigUdslusning fully automatic control system for dealing with manure in pig stalls. The system is a fully automatic control solution that flushes out the manure each week.
It is operated from a computer, which is also used to collect all the data, and can also control pumping over to storage or collection tanks. JH’s HyppigUdslusning helps improve the working environment by eliminating heavy lifts and the risk of inhaling poisonous gases associated with manual flushing, as the system performs this operation automatically.
 Agrifarm – 0-Emission system
Another Agromek Award and two star winner was Agrifarm for its 0-Emission system which it says solves the green transition issue in the world of livestock production. The 0-emission system is a concept which significantly reduces three emissions: methane, ammonia and odour.
The opportunity for dispensing more straw helps enhance animal welfare. The system involves a combination of innovations for reducing the emission of odour and ammonia in livestock housing. The slurry is quickly removed with this new line traction and only a small amount will remain. The slurry is collected in pre-fabricated funnels. A vacuum system draws off the slurry from the funnels. This ensures that slurry with high dry matter content is transported and thus slurry with a higher gas potential.
Best Farm – PIG-SIGNAL Management
Also winning a coveted Agromek Award and three stars was Best Farm for its software program PIG-SIGNAL Management that can register piglet births. This product consists of a camera installed in the farrowing pen, of the animals farrowing that week.
The camera is installed on an upright post on the pen and captures thermographic heat behind the sow. It is trained to see newly born piglets and the sow, and to establish whether she is lying down or standing up.
A water meter is fitted to the sow’s water supply and sensors are installed in the piglet pens. All signals from these sensors are transmitted via a wireless gateway in the stalls up to the cloud and then down to the app.
Best Farm – new farrowing floor
The Danish company also won one star for its new design farrowing pen floor with concrete slats. The floor is cast in single units measuring 260 x 260cm.
This flooring is designed as a unit consisting of coated flooring and concrete drainage/slots in the middle. This combination is entirely new on the market and this flooring contributes to increasing the pig producer’s choice when establishing farrowing pens.
This flooring gives the sow a comfortable non-slip surface and allows suckling piglets to feed easily on a warm surface reducing damage to themselves.
Best Farm – Double drinking bowl for sucking pigs in farrowing pens
This consists of a double drinking bowl for sucking pigs in farrowing pens, consisting of an inverted botte and a drinking bowl with press plate and two valves.
The drinking bowl features built-in circulation for milk/water supply and an extra valve for electrolyte mixture that can be mixed in with the liquid in the bowl. This drinker system can be installed in existing and new farrowing pens.
Big Dutchman – box for weaning and gestating sows
Two stars were given to this box which has a rear gate designed as two gates in one. The inner gate can be swung open 180 degrees across the width of the box, making it easy for personnel to pass behind the sow without having to open the outer gate itself.
This facilitates access to the box for farm personnel tasked with insemination/stimulation procedures and taking care of the sow. Moreover, the sides of the box have been lowered to allow more room for farm personnel to manoeuvre inside the box.
Danbox Danmark – Climate pen with in-floor heating for weaned piglets
Danbox Danmark received one star for its new climate pen with in-floor heating under the cover in a movable climate stall. The climate containers for floor heating in the pens reduce power requirements due to the heat being delivered close to the small piglets and less heat wastage via the ventilation system.
The floor heating is water based and can therefore be heated by cheaper energy sources. Small piglets have a considerable heat requirement and correct temperature ensures increased growth rate and improved livestock welfare.
Agrisys – PorciSys individual feeding for sucking pigs
Two stars went to Agrisys for its PorciSys installation which is a miniature system that handles wet feed/portion feeding in a completely new way.
The PorciSys installation handles the feeding of the piglets progressively from milk powder during the first few weeks, through prestarter to the introduction of the start mix used in the weaning pens.
