by Henning Lehnert, editor of TopAgrar

This article is extracted from TopAgrar 5/2009 (p.12-17).

Piglets with health certificate

In piglet export, the Danish advertise with animal health certificates. To defy them, also in Germany more and more marketers work on certificates for animal health.

Large piglet sections of consistent origin with a defined health status and good fattening traits - that’s what feeders demand nowadays. In short: Piglets, who “function problem-free” during the feeding. Therefore, for many feeders it is not enough to know about the vaccination status of the piglets. Rather, they ask for a deeper insight in the health status of the sow herd of their piglet distributor. Best would be an accompanying document which proves that the piglets are unsuspicious regarding PRRS, Circo, salmonella and dysentery.

Animal health plays an important role

It is a fact, that animal health in piglet marketing meanwhile plays a central role. And when long-term piglet producer-feeder-marriages break up, it’s often because of animal health problems.
For this reason, also in Germany more and more marketing organisations deal with the development of animal health monitoring systems. In periodic intervals, they have samples of secretion and faeces taken in their member companies and have them tested for determined germs. On basis of the results the companies are categorised and in several programmes particular health certificates are issued. Doubtlessly, suchlike screenings offer a range of advantages:

• New infections and reproduction of certain germs in the stock are earlier to be recognised. Counteractive measures can be taken earlier;
• Hence vaccination and treatment actions can so be controlled and if required promptly adjusted;
• Food security is improved by screening and provides the agriculturist respectively the marketer security within product liability;
• Monitoring systems optimise the information flow between piglet producer and feeder. Both can improve the adjustment of their health management to each other;
• They create customer retention between piglet producer and feeder by transparency and provide sales guarantee;
• And they supply the marketer valuable information about which origins can be jointly marketed and transported.

In Germany, different monitoring projects for piglet production have been started in the meantime.

Monitoring of the EGF

The ‘Erzeugergemeinschaft für Qualitätsferkel im Raum Osnabrück’ (EGF) has already implemented an animal health monitoring system in autumn 2007 which is obligatory for all 109 piglet production companies. Within the framework of the EU project ‘Q-PorkChains’ agriculturists have to perform serological tests of their herds for salmonella and PRRS antibodies twice a year. In case of conspicuity further going PCR analyses occur. The analyses are performed by the IVD in Hannover.
The screening is complemented by ‘accompanying measures’. This includes for example a site inspection every six months, the so-called ITBS check (integrated veterinary stock supervision). Thereby, amongst others, the vaccination programme, the control of ecto- and endoparasites, the sow schedule dates as well as clinical appearances and the feeding condition of the animals are assessed. The data is collected by handwriting, imported by character recognition and administrated in a data base by the Dresden based company ‘Qualitype’.
Other accompanying measures are: The EGF companies are only supplied by APP, PRRS and mycoplame unsuspicious gilts respectively by PRRS free artificial insemination centres. Therefore, the gilt reproducers are audited by the EGF.
The sampling and the ITBS visit are conducted by the farm veterinarian. The costs of the basic examination are defrayed by the piglet producer. All continuative examination costs are absorbed by the ‘Erzeugergemeinschaft’. On balance, an equity contribution of 400 to 500€ per year remains for the companies.

• Farm Level