84 What Does “Found Dead” Mean? Tools for Better Record Keeping

Abstract

Abstract I have been in the swine industry for 49 years and I have seen a lot of changes. Record keeping has been one of those change starting in 1975 with a program called PigTails which was collected on small pads to PIGCHAMP starting in 1983 and expanded to 26+ programs being used today. Each program has been unique in how data are collected, development of equation and how data are reported. On March 1, 1999, a group of producers, university personal, record keeping companies, and companies doing swine industry were assembled to standardize terminology, equations used for reporting data to the industry from this there was a publication called the “NPPC Production & Financial Standards”. Standardizing was not accomplished as shown by different record programs having different report, equations, and long lists for reasons for animal deaths and culling. I have seen farm with up to 75 reasons for sow deaths and culling. For the industry to move forward and do a better job standardizing death loss and culling reasons, changes need to take place. In 2017 SMS wrote an article called “It is time for an overhaul of removal records” in HHF. Suggested were 6 categories: Disease/Health, Reproduction, Performance, Intestinal, Locomotion and Other. Under each were 2 to 6 reasons for being culled, dying, or euthanized. The same review of the grower/ finisher reasons should be done. When reviewing records for deaths the records are not very accurate with a very high percent being other or unknown. Conclusion: What is swine industry going to do about standardizing death loss and culling reasons so better analysis can be done to improve industry numbers?