Søren Bossen, CEO of Avlscenter Rønshauge, further elaborated on this point. The company is now one of the breeding centers of Danish genetics.

Bossen recently visited Northern Ireland and spoke at a producer conference hosted by Glenmarshal Sires in Cookstown.

He further explained: “It is no longer important to increase the number of piglets per litter of a sow.

"If it is sufficient to assume a litter of 16 to 18 litters, then the question becomes: Can the sow be able to raise all these piglets to a uniform weaning weight?

"Our breeding work now shows that maternal lines can be identified in large white breeds and Yorkshire terrier breeds with this ability. The piglet survival rate by day 21 is now the standard used by Denmark to determine whether a sow is suitable for breeding."

Genomics is also used as a core breeding evaluation tool for the Danish swine industry.

"But it must be used in conjunction with actual performance testing," Bossen emphasized.

Duroc is the main terminal boar breed used in the Danish pig industry.

Bossen explained that when evaluating individual boars in Denmark, simply measuring feed efficiency, that is, the daily growth rate achieved by a particular diet, is no longer the baseline.

"People don't eat bones or tendons: they eat actual meat produced by pigs," he said.

"That's why our feed trial now evaluates the ability of boar offspring to produce lean meat every day. This information is collected through a CT scanning process.

"This is the real measure of feed efficiency."

According to Bosen. Danish pig blood lines are now exported to 47 countries around the world.

He continued: "We are adopting a balanced breeding approach and the overall goal is to produce pigs that can provide a higher level of sustainability for all our customers.

"In this case, it is important to raise stronger and more robust pigs."

"We continue to invest in technology that allows us to ensure a higher level of genetic gain in our herd.

"At present, improving the quality of meat is the top priority of our breeding program.

Healthy sows can produce enough colostrum to feed 40 piglets

A leading Danish veterinarian has confirmed that healthy sows are capable of producing enough colostrum for 40 piglets.

In fact, it is difficult for them to successfully feed half of this number, which reflects their poor health.

Soren Spandet Thielsen, owner of the professional swine veterinary clinic OE-VET A/S, also emphasized that pig farmers in Northern Ireland need to be absolutely concerned about maintaining the health of sows.

He spoke at the recent Cookstown Pig Raising Conference hosted by Glenmarshal Sires.

The Danish veterinarian commented: “A large number of Irish sows have undiagnosed bladder and urinary tract infections. These can cause many conditions, including the mother’s inability to stand effectively after delivery.  

"If the cattle's veterinarian conducts an autopsy at the time of slaughter, the presence of these infections can be easily identified.

"The same principle holds true when identifying chronic gastric ulcers in finished pigs. I estimate that approximately 45% of finished pigs in Ireland will be affected by this."

Tilson added: "Only when farmers know that there are problems of this nature, they can start to solve these problems."

In terms of weaning, Thielsen recommends that the piglets be placed on the mother for 31 days and weigh at least 11 kg.

He explained: “It’s too early to wean on the 28th day. This is because at that stage, the piglets have not yet formed their own immune system.

"Healthy sows promote a sustainable pig industry. When these conditions are achieved, the use of antibiotics will drop sharply, and growing pigs will reach their fattening weight faster."

The farmers who attended the meeting were told that they should implement an all-in, all-out policy in terms of fattening pigs.

"This management method can reduce the spread of disease within the herd," Tilson said.

"Water supply is also a problem for pig farms in Ireland. Assuming that the teat is working and properly calibrated, this is a dangerous management method.

"All drinking water points in the pig unit must be checked regularly."

Commenting on the pros and cons of tail docking, Thielsen said that if the available floor space per pig increases by 20%, this practice can be eliminated.

"Poor ventilation in the enclosure can also promote tail biting. Pigs with any form of bacterial infection should not have their tails docked," he concluded.