Growing Healthy Pigs – Details, episodes & analysis

Improving traceability and ensuring higher welfare pig production is key for the UK pig sector to thrive.

To support this, MSD Animal Health UK is proud to launch LeeO Precision Farming B.V., an innovative, real-time monitoring system, which will allow UK producers to track individual pig and herd performance throughout their life cycle.

From this data, producers and integrators will gain a better understanding of the health and welfare status of all pigs under their management and, ultimately, it will enable consumers to be more informed about where their pork comes from and how it has been produced.

In this episode of the Growing Healthy Pigs podcast, Ingrid Potter, key account manager at MSD Animal Health UK, speaks to LeeO founder, Peter ter Linde, about the innovative technology behind LeeO and how it will benefit the UK pig sector from global use case examples.

From the potential to replace slap-marking, to influencing management decisions on-farm, the introduction of LeeO provides the opportunity to revolutionise the UK pig sector.

At the PHM Respiratory Health Conference, which was held in Milton Keynes earlier this year, a number of industry experts and MSD Animal Health UK Ltd colleagues spoke about respiratory health in pigs and what can be done to protect this.

Some of the speakers included MSD Animal Health UK veterinary technical manager Dr. Serena Shanahan and technical excellence manager Monika Ptaszynska-Sutton.

Veterinary surgeon Jordi Baliellas explained how Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is dealt with in Spain and Hugh Crabtree shared how correct housing and ventilation can support the performance of pigs.

In this Growing Healthy Pigs podcast episode, you can hear some of the highlights from the conference.

In this episode of the Growing Healthy Pigs podcast, we speak to Richard Pearson from the George Vet Group about whether the new RUMA target for antibiotic reduction in the pig sector is achievable and what farmers can do to reach this goal. 

We also catch up with Adam Marshall, one of our Growing Healthy Pigs Ambassadors, who has successfully reduced antibiotic use on his farm through introducing a strict vaccination policy.

So, if you’re listening to us in the shed, tractor or in your kitchen while you rustle up some dinner, get comfy and stay tuned.

In this bonus edition, we continue the story from our last episode and discuss with Lisa Magennis from Dalehead Foods how changing consumer demands impact farmers, and what the industry can do to adapt to this.

So, if you’re listening to us in the shed, tractor or in your kitchen while you rustle up some dinner, get comfy and stay tuned.

Also catch us on Top 15 Swine Industry Podcasts!

Sound effects obtained from www.zapsplat.com

In this episode, we discuss with the AHDB how changing consumer demand impacts farmers, and what the industry can do to adapt to this. 

We’ll also be catching up with our Growing Healthy Pigs Ambassadors and they’ll be talking about staff retention and giving you some top tips on how to keep them happy.

So, if you’re listening to us in the shed, tractor or in your kitchen  while you rustle up some dinner, get comfy and stay tuned.

Also catch us on Top 15 Swine Industry Podcasts!

Sound effects obtained from www.zapsplat.com

In this episode, we discuss how the pig industry can back farm assurance schemes. We also catch up with staff from one of our Growing Healthy Pigs Ambassador's farm. They talk about how their high welfare and pioneering vaccination techniques have made improvements for both pigs and unit staff.

So, if you’re listening to us in the shed, tractor or in your kitchen while you rustle up some dinner, get comfy and stay tuned. 

Sound effects obtained from www.zapsplat.com

This is the very first episode of the Growing Healthy Pigs podcast. 

In this episode, we will be discussing the impact that the global outbreaks of African swine fever and Covid-19 have had on the pig industry. And, we’ll be introducing the first of our new Growing Healthy Pigs farmer ambassadors, Michael Baker. He’ll be talking about his biosecurity plan and giving you his top tips for biosecurity success.

So, if you’re listening to us in the shed, tractor or in your kitchen while you rustle up some dinner, get comfy and stay tuned.

Sound effects obtained from www.zapsplat.com

In this special episode we’re giving a preview of what to expect from our upcoming respiratory conference taking place at the end of this month. We’ll be discussing the importance of respiratory health in pigs and how this can be proactively managed on-farm by producers and vets to help increase productivity, performance and welfare.

To register your interest for the conference please email: ukpigteam@msd.com

In this episode, Serena Shanahan, Veterinary Technical Manager for MSD Animal Health UK Pigs, is joined by Ingrid Potter, MSD Animal Health UK Pigs Key Account Manager, to discuss the stress parameters surrounding pig vaccination and how combination vaccines can help combat this. Also joining us is Wayne Benefer, of North Farm Livestock, who shares his experiences of using combination vaccines across the pig sites he managers.

In this episode, we continue to explore technology and innovation in the pig sector by discussing freedom farrowing systems. We’ll be talking to one of our Growing Health Pigs ambassador farmers who has installed a freedom farrowing system on his farm to see what the benefits are and if these systems are the future of the pig sector in the UK.