The worst has already passed. We will have to see where our price can get to.

Use the probe of an intrauterine AI catheter to provide colostrum.

Use a rake to pick placentas more easily.

Virulence and infectivity differences between strains are notorious. Moreover, the new virus is not controlled with vaccines developed from classical strains and may yield false positives in some diagnostic tests.

A method to quantify the relative economic importance of pig health status at placement by specific pathogens (PRRSv and PEDv) and to estimate the effect of a specific type of PRRSv at a specific production system is presented.

Gilts are the population most likely to excrete M. hyo during lactation because they will probably have become infected within 200 days prior to their first farrowing.

The bearish indicators still hang heavy over the industry and some have actually increased.

Enric Marco sums up the essential points to control post-weaning diarrhoea in our farm.

Meeting the needs of the newly weaned pigs often proves to be difficult in many production settings.

The evolution of genetics in modern sows requires nutritionists to evolve their diets and feeding programs accordingly. Nutritionist need to consider not only the role of nutrition on metabolism but also on hormone regulation and subsequent reproduction.

We got a call to visit a fattening farm where 7-week-old piglets presented meningitis and diarrhoea after weaning, with a mortality rate of 5% three weeks after weaning.

The immunomodulatory effect —particularly anti-inflammatory— of phytogenic products added to the diet seems to play a crucial role in addressing intestinal clinical pictures in pigs.

The first two or three weeks of April will be useful for absorbing the delayed pigs, and by the end of April the price will be able to rise, step by step, to more decent levels.

At least 25% of the pigs from 2 to 3 weeks old were reported to be lame, some so severe that they lay in the arcs shaking and unable to stand.

The method is based on oral fluid collection from the groups of viraemic pigs by means of cotton ropes that will be hung in the incoming gilts pens.

This article lists the critical points that must be considered for a successful post-cervical insemination in sows.

Swine influenza viruses are diverse at genetic and antigenic level, resulting in a limited cross-reactivity in viruses sharing a common ancestor or belonging to a same subtype.

Various strategies are discussed: offering up to 3 different types of feed, budget feeding, density of piglets per feeder space, ...

A system for cleaning the bowls in a practical, effective, and quick way without splashing all the farrowing pen or soaking the piglets.

OD will normally appear after 1 or 2 weeks post-weaning and most likely associated to the presence of other risk factors.

Any contact between fattening pigs of different age during restocking of compartments increased the risk.

Will we see the predicted 2% increase in production this year that USDA is forecasting?

Neonatal mortality does not only depend on the design of the farrowing crate, but also on genetic and management factors, as well as litter size, especially with the increased use of hyper-prolific dam lines.

There is a total crisis situation in all Europe.

Adding organic iron in piglets drinking water during lactation may be an alternative to parenteral administration of inorganic iron.

Weaning triggers a series of changes leading to the decrease of feed intake and the deterioration of the intestinal architecture which finally results in infection, diarrhoea and low performance.

Make a hole in one of the ends and place a soda vacuum plug so the feed troughs can be cleaned more easily.

The first and the most important condition at the beginning of PRRSV control program is to disrupt virus circulation in the reproductive herd.

It seems we have a new virus able to produce vesicular disease in pig populations.

The immune status of farms is quite possibly different from the one they had before piglets mass vaccinations.

The idea is to modify the doors of the pen where sows are housed in groups to increase the contact with the boar.

The month of the sow's birth affects the number of piglets born alive in the first farrowing.

It is necessary to find alternatives to definitely implement this technique in primiparous sows and start its use in gilts.

The headwinds to a 30% rise in carcass prices expected into the summer include a relative abundance of pork and all other meats coupled with much lower retail prices emerging in the meat case, ...

Spanish abattoirs are slaughtering at their maximum capacity, but nevertheless, several weeks will be needed (probably until late February) to reabsorb the accumulation of delayed pigs.

Although dispersion in the farrowing quarters is decisive in the final dispersion, we can take steps to correct some of this dispersion in the nursery.

Finding alternatives to reduce the number of nurse sows by maximising the number of suckling piglets per sow.

Due to the fact that no known enteropathogen was found in clinically relevant amounts, importance of massive Blastocystis sp. infestation was counted as significant in this case.

To prevent tail biting, animals must be able to express their exploratory behaviour in an appropriate manner. This article presents the points to consider when choosing the most appropriate material.

Despite not having a consistent post-vaccination serological reaction, vaccinated animals behave differently from unvaccinated animals under field conditions.The article explains why vaccines offer protection.

The economic evaluation of each assessment allows the producer to quantify the economic impact of pneumonia.

Purchasing decisions are complex because, even though some consumers prefer meat with no fat in sight, they prefer the meat with the highest marbling degree when they taste it.

Variability of feed ingredients is analysed, as well as its consequences on consumption and lean tissue growth in fattening pigs.

Usual standard on many farms to identify a sow with different genetics quickly.

In practice, and to have active-acquired antibodies ready at weaning, piglets should be immunised 10 days to 2 weeks before weaning.

There are many open topics, such as: 1) what is the impact of the disease in endemic situations at the reproductive level (irregular return to estrus / fertility), especially in gilts; or 2) what is the productive impact in farrowing units, especially when we know that suckling piglets can play a role as a reservoir of the virus in an endemically infected farm.

In order to dream of better prices we must find a bottom from where to rebound. We are very probably there, although Spanish market is, right now, heavier than the German one.

Improving piglets' comfort in the farrowing pens by offering them more surface for resting.

Traits of high or moderate heritability are easily improved by testing and selection. However, for traits of low heritability, improvements come from exploiting heterosis and by the use of BLUP.

Effect of modified-live porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus vaccine on the shedding of wild-type virus from an infected population of growing pigs.

Infectious outbreaks can last for more than a month at a population level, which explain that a new batch including mainly susceptible piglets can get infected if the animals are housed in a separate room but in the same compartment (airborne transmission).

Benefits and risks of heterosis and inbreeding in pig production.

When global supplies of pork are large, as they are now, the name of the game for major production areas is growing net exports.

This method works especially well in farms where pens are wide or have unusual dimensions.

It has been years since we last saw such a risky price and situation.

After two weeks of quarantine, gilts started limping. Treatment with amoxycillins did not help, only treatment with high doses (10 mg/kg) of macrolides and spectinomycines brought a solution.

We can predict a sow's production based on the number of piglets born alive at first farrowing. In addition, the best sows' performance will outdo the others' continuously.

This tool allows us to model the growth of animal body tissues in vivo and to study the effect of different factors (genetics, gender, nutrition) on this growth.

An accurate diagnosis is sometimes difficult because of the common occurrence of mixed infections, the compounding effects of environment and nutrition and the difficulties experienced in isolating and identifying all the possible pathogenic agents involved.

After 24 years of experience we still don't have a control plan agreed upon and accepted by all our technical community. Why?