Abstract
Postpartum dysgalactia syndrome (PPDS) and locomotory disorders are common health problems in sows. Previous research suggests that they can cause substantial losses, reduce sow welfare, and result in premature removal of the sow from the herd. However, economic consequences of PPDS and locomotory disorders have not been investigated thoroughly. The goal of this study was to examine economic losses caused by PPDS and locomotory disorders and their impacts on sow longevity. A stochastic dynamic programming model, which maximizes return on sow space unit and assesses sow replacement under several scenarios, was developed. The state variables were litter size, parity number, and sow’s health status. The model describes changes in the production parameters such as the number of piglets born and piglet mortality. Herd data originating from commercial sow herds and from a research farm were used to parameterize the model. Sow longevity, health, and economic results are related to each other. Eliminating the risk of PPDS from the model increased the value of sow space unit by €279 when compared to the baseline scenario. Eliminating the risk of locomotory disorders increased value by €110. Results suggest that these estimates correspond to about €29.1 and €11.5 in economic costs per housed sow during her lifetime. The estimated magnitude of losses was €300–€470 per affected sow for PPDS and €290–€330 per affected sow for locomotory disorders. However, realistically speaking, not all of these costs are avoidable. Due to premature replacement associated with these two disorders, the average number of litters that the sow would deliver during her lifetime is decreased by about 0.1–0.4 litters depending on the scenario. We also observed that the optimal lifetime of a sow is not a fixed number, but it depends on her productivity level as well as health status. In general, a healthy sow could stay in the herd until she has produced 6–10 litters. Research is needed to understand the structures and interactions underlying health impairments, performance, replacement policies, and farm economics, and to provide pork producers with management recommendations.
Highlights
Citizens perceive animal health and welfare as important dimensions of animal production [1, 2]
We focus on postpartum dysgalactia syndrome (PPDS) and locomotory disorders, which are common health problems occurring in sows
Eliminating PPDS from the model increases the value of sow space unit by €279 (7% of baseline return on fixed cost) and eliminating locomotory disorders increases the value by €110 (3% of the baseline)
Summary
Citizens perceive animal health and welfare as important dimensions of animal production [1, 2]. Diseases alter appetite, feed digestibility, impair the utilization of nutrients, and affect respiratory efficiency [5]. Thereafter, health disorders typically continue to harm productivity of the affected animals in ways extending beyond the known pathological effects, potentially for a long time even after having been successfully treated. Increased mortality and premature removal of sows from the herd have been studied widely [6,7,8], but relative to the overall effect of diseases in sow populations, they represent only a small proportion. Fertility and productivity of sows as well as the quality of piglets are typically altered, and thereby, herd output and renewal potential is impaired. Involuntary herd turnover is increased, planned genetic progress deteriorated, and parity profile and overall performance of the herd adversely affected [9]. If an increased disease incidence leads to too high use of antimicrobial drugs, it can be economically costly to the producer [11]
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