De Heus wants to start building a center for practical research into pig nutrition soon. The research center will be located in Beuningen, Gelderland. Johan Zonderland, team leader Concept Development & Research Pigs, about this project.
What is the status of the developments and when can we start?
"We bought a company in Beuningen for the construction of the research center. The location must accommodate 250 sows with accompanying piglets, breeding sows and 900 fattening pigs. We now have to work out the plans further. We have started applying for the various permits. It can take quite a while before everything is ready, which is why we don't know yet when we can start."
What exactly is the research?
"We want to conduct research into the production of high-quality animal feeds, among other things. For example, we look at the effects of feed on several things, such as growth development, fat thickness, individual weights, feed intake and water intake. We test this in sows, piglets and fattening pigs. Healthy pigs and a better efficiency of raw materials are important principles."
What makes this setup special?
"It is especially important for us that all research will soon be done under one roof. That works a lot more efficiently. With this set-up, we can determine the effects of the feed in the longer term, among other things. We also have an overview from birth to on the slaughter hook. Now we only see the effects on the groups where the feed is fed. Because the piglets now grow up with us, we can now also keep track of this for the longer term. When we feed piglets, we want to We can also see what effects that has on the growth and health of the finishing pig."
"In addition, by means of individual feeding stations for sows, we can carry out more studies side by side. We can also better record individual data, such as feed intake, weight development and fat thickness. Finally, we also want to build a viewing corridor. Visitors can then see the pigs well. so that they come to the department."
You want to follow all piglets up to the slaughter hook, but with this number of places not all piglets can be kept as finishers. Why were these numbers chosen?
"We have chosen these numbers because it is sufficient for a good study. There are approximately 250 piglet places for 1.350 sows. This is necessary to make enough groups. With 900 finishing pig places, we cannot continue to monitor all piglets, but in terms of research we can handle this well. We have to transfer the groups, where research is not important later on, to other companies. If we want to keep all the piglets, then we have to build more pig places and that means a much larger investment. is not yet possible."
What do you expect from this research center in the future?
"We expect that the center will initially be of added value to our customers. We try to do this by offering high-quality food. We also believe that we will be able to conduct good research at this location in the coming years. We must continue to intervene on new developments. We also see opportunities in the international field. We will therefore include questions that come from abroad in our research."
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