Anticipated innovations in pig farming
Pig farming in Germany is under immense pressure, which makes further optimization necessary on farms. In the current “Graphic of the Month” from DLG-Agrifuture Insights, we present the innovations the industry is hoping for based on the results of the 2023/24 winter survey.
As part of the current Agrifuture Insights study, participants were asked from November 2023 to the beginning of January 2024 about their assessment of innovations hoped for in pig farming. As in the previous year, all three market groups surveyed – farms, science and consulting as well as industry, processing and trade – put an improvement in animal health at the top of the list.
When it comes to improvements in animal health, the respondents presumably have the goal of achieving a further reduction in the use of antibiotics through healthy and robust herds.
Compliance with biosecurity and hygiene measures and their further improvement are an important issue as pig farmers are facing a further spread of African swine fever in Germany and Europe. The consequences of a regional outbreak can currently be seen in the example of the southern Hesse/Rhineland-Palatinate region.
In view of the noticeable consequences of climate change, innovations for an improvement of barn climate are becoming increasingly important. Rising temperatures and increased rainfall are not making temperature and humidity control in the barn any easier. Accordingly, all respondents consider improvements in this area to be important. The scientific and advisory community attaches even greater priority to this topic than the agricultural businesses.
In addition, the respondents hope for innovations in demand-oriented feeding to improve the nutrient balance.
DLG-Agrifuture Insights – a comprehensive view on agricultural development
DLG-Agrifuture Insights is the DLG knowledge brand and platform for international trend analyses in the agricultural sector. It examines the business environment in agriculture in Germany and worldwide. For this purpose, farmers and people from agribusiness, science and consulting are surveyed annually on their assessments of the economic situation and development of agricultural businesses, as well as technology trends and innovations in the individual business sectors. A total of 3,336 people took part in the current survey in winter 2023/24, around 1,300 of them from abroad.