ANIMAL MANAGEMENT & HEALTH ISSUES

This column discusses current animal health and production problems in the tropics with special reference to events in the Nigerian industry. Dr. I. Charles Okoli is of The Tropical Animal Health and Production Research Laboratory, Department of Animal Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, PMB 1526, Owerri, Nigeria. dr_charleso@yahoo.com (08056647100) All reactions to the issues raised in the column should be addressed to his E. mail address or to the Editor-in-Chief.

TOPICAL TIPS ON INTENSIVE PIG PRODUCTION

Dr. Charles Okoli

It is relatively easy to establish intensive pig production in a developing country like Nigeria, if capital and expertise are available and adequate feed supplies are assured. Profitable pig production will however not be achieved unless the right product is produced in the right place at the right price. It is therefore important for the intending pig producer to understand the economic, physical, social and religious forces which operate to determine what product is required, where it is wanted and how much it is worth. This will enable him to anticipate the consequences of changing circumstances and avoid financial losses.

All over the world, meat production remains overwhelmingly the main purpose of keeping pigs. The meat produced by pigs can be utilized by the producer and his family or sold as a source of income. Fresh pock is the most important product of pigs in Nigeria. Processed meats such as bacon sausage are also being produced and are increasingly gaining recognition. Lard or fat from pig is the least popular. By-products such as pigskin and bristle are used in the manufacture of light leather goods and brushes especially in Asian countries. Pig manure is a valuable fertilizer and can be aerobically digested to produce cooking gas. When washed into ponds, the pig manure stimulates the growth of microorganisms and plants for feeding fresh water fish and ducks.

Social factors that could influence pig production in Nigeria include a general preference for ruminant meat and lack of incentives for investing in large scale pig production due in part to economic and political factors. The large Moslem populations of northern Nigeria may also not favor profitable pig production in that part of the country. Other social factors that have militated against pig production in Nigeria include the belief that pigs are dirty and constitute a health hazard. This is absolutely untrue of modern intensive production since under suitable modern husbandry, pigs can be very clean animals. In deed, intensively produced pig may currently present less of a health risk to man than do cattle.

 PLANNING: Pig production relies on a series of inter-connected operations, which include funding (capital), market, management ability, feed and water supply, land and building (including that needed for waste disposal), stock and marketing methods. The most important of these will depend on circumstances of the operator’s environment.

Market: The existence of a market for pig products is the springboard of profitable pig production, since without a demand there will be no production. An adventurous producer is however capable of expanding the existing market by advertisement and consistent provision of quality products at attractive prices. A beginner should therefore ask the questions: Where is the demand? How big is it? Is it being satisfied at the moment? Can it be expanded? Researched honest answers to these will help the intending producer to determine the profitability of the proposed venture.

Capital: For beginners it is always wise to start small and expand gradually. One may begin by setting up a small unit in a mixed farm or as a part-time job. In each case however, capital investment will be required. It has been stated as a general rule that for each 90 kg pig produced to market age, a capital investment equal to two to four times the value of that market weight pig will be required.

Management Ability: While laborers needed for routine feeding and cleaning activities in the farm may be easy to source especially in small units, in larger farms, the retention of well trained stockmen or the facilities to train them to manage the day to day running of the enterprise could be a serious problem. Good performance in any livestock production can only be achieved through constant attention to detail usually provided by a well-trained stockman.

Stock: The productivity of the animal being raised is a very important index of profitability. In large operations for example, small differences in the productivity of stocks can make considerable differences in the overall profitability of the enterprise. It should be noted, however, that the real value of an animal is measured by the performance of the owner’s farm with its own climatic and disease environment as well as its own system of feeding and management. Stock that performs well under one set of conditions may well be disappointing in a different environment.

Marketing: Marketing or the process of converting product to money is the last link in the production chain. Faced with numerous uncertainties of marketing such as glut periods, the method a producer employs to assure his sales at all times are of importance. These may include forward contracting of fixed number and flexible production systems among others.

TYPE OF PRODUCTS: The meat produced from pig can be sold in different forms depending on the size of animal at slaughter, carcass composition and possibility of further processing of the carcass. Although the pattern of demand for pig products in a given area may be fairly set, the existence of alternative markets offers the producer additional flexibility.

Piglets: The increasing expatriate population of many big cities in Nigeria has created the market for baby pig production. Although an inefficient and therefore expensive method of producing pig meat, baby pig meat commands premium price among the expatriate and tourist communities. Young piglets are slaughtered at about 4 to 6 weeks when they weigh 2 to 5 kg. The processed carcass is thereafter chilled and sold for roasting. In this type of production, breeds that farrow many piglets are of better value. Since the sow has only a short lactation, it is possible to re-serve her more quickly after farrowing than in conventional systems. A viable market for weaner pigs has also developed among pig farmers in Nigeria. Many small producers lacking the capital needed to fatten out their pigs now concentrate on weaner pigs’ production for sale to other better-capitalized farms.

Pock: Because of traditional preferences and the variety of ways in which it could be prepared, fresh pock is by far the most important meat product of pig industry in Nigeria. Pigs intended for pock may be slaughtered at any weight but there are traditional ways in which the carcasses are cut up. The conventional pock weighs between 40 and 60 kg live weight to give a carcass weight of 25 to 45 kg. Overall efficiency of production is usually highest when pigs are slaughtered between 60 and 80 kg live weight. In the absence of reliable refrigeration facility, the sale of meat within a few hours of slaughter is necessary to avoid deterioration.

Further processed products: These include bacon, sausages, tinned meat and all kinds of pre-packed foods. Although bacon is not presently popular in the Nigeria, it may have an export potential. Bacon is produced by curing certain parts of pock by treating it while dry or wet with salt, saltpeter, and a variety of flavorings including sugar, peppers, and herbs. In production of sausages, the consumer health requirements in terms of carcass fatness are relaxed since a good deal of fat is usually utilized in the manufacture of the products. Lard or pig fat is obtained from animals that have been grown to heavy weights especially older sows. The demand for lard has however declined with increasing evidence of the injurious effects of animal fat on human health, which has received much publicity.

 TYPES OF MANAGEMENT: The basic systems of management in tropical pig production are subsistence or small-scale, intensive production and semi- extensive systems. The first is the simplest form and allows pigs to roam freely, or are confined in very simple pens or huts. They are fed largely on waste food and crop residues and usually manifest poor performance in form of poor growth and inferior carcass.

Intensive production on the other hand involves considerable capital investment in housing and equipment, as well as high degree of skill in management. Under this system, large numbers of pigs are produce in one place by a few people. This system of production presently accounts for an increasing fraction of pig production in this country, with units of 500 –1000 pigs gradually becoming common. Intensive production is the choice system for profitable production. It however requires a consistent demand for high quality pig meat, a reliable supply of quality feed, a local source of suitable building materials and equipment and the managerial ability to obtain the high productivity needed to justify the capital invested.

Various systems have been devised to reduce the initial capital outlay required in fully intensive systems, while allowing for good control of feeding and management. Such semi-intensive production systems are usually based on keeping pigs in paddocks with access to grazing or crop residues for parts of their lives. Pregnant sows kept in this way are usually brought into a central house to farrow after which they are allowed out again with soil providing the piglets with a rich source of iron. An integrated system in which pig production is combined with fish farming, vegetable production, duck keeping or a combination of these is widely practiced in many Asian countries. Such systems are particularly suited to small-scale production because of ratio of pond size to pig number. Usually 30 growing pigs or two sows and their offspring to market age in a pond area of one hectare are recommended.

 BUSINESS SENCE: Producers are always tempted to generate the highest possible income per unit of capital invested. This may however involve an increased demand on the producer’s time and energy, and increased business risks. These factors and the system of management being practiced should be the most important determinants of the size of the production. Second to this, the operator should have clear understanding of what income he requires from his enterprise, what size of market he can hope to obtain and the limitations placed on the scale of his operation by scarcities of any of the resources discussed earlier.