An Aberdeenshire farmer has been unveiled as the host of Scotland’s new pig monitor farm project.
The three-year project, which is being run by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and north-east economic development agency ONE, will take place at Mill of Carden Farm, Inverurie.
The farm, which is run by Patrick Stephen, is home to a commercial herd of 530 sows housed on straw.
Four members of staff, including farm manager Wayne Ducker, work at the farm which runs JSR females with a Danbred terminal sire.
The farm has been involved in pig production since the 1960s and in the past 18 months a new French-designer weaner shed has been erected complete with an innovative ventilation system.
Mr Stephen, who is currently chairman of Scottish Pig Producers, said he hoped participation in the monitor farm project would help boost his herd’s health status.
“We take a real pride in what we do but there is always room for improvement and there will definitely be opportunities to introduce changes to further improve our system,” said Mr Stephen.
“We would also like to focus on weighing and data collection to ensure we can very closely monitor our costs of production. We’re looking forward to sharing what we learn along the way with other producers and hopefully their businesses can benefit from our experiences too.”
Mr Stephen said he was also keen to evaluate the effectiveness of the two different types of feed systems the farm runs – one is ad-lib and the other is restricted feeding.
QMS pig specialist, Allan Ward, said: “The farm is a great example of a pig business which is performing well but recognises that there is scope for further improvement and that small changes can deliver significant gains.
“The enthusiasm of Patrick and his team to get involved in this project and to share what they learn for the benefit of the whole industry gives us a great base to start from. We’re looking forward to working with the Mill of Carden team and I’m certain the project will deliver a great deal over the next four years.”
ONE director of food, drink and agriculture, Peter Cook, said the north-east of Scotland was home to more than 60% of the Scottish sow herd.
He said: “Pig production is worth around £40-£50million annually to the region’s economy. To sustain and grow the sector we need to see the tremendous improvement in performance which can be gained through the programme.
“Growth in numbers, quality, health and welfare will strengthen the whole marketing chain, as will the supply chain development work we are supporting through the project. We need to turn the concentrated nature of our Scottish pig sector into a competitive advantage and continue to produce top quality pork which is at the forefront of European production in terms of animal health and welfare.”
The project will be facilitated by pig vet Grace Webster and George Chalmers of SRUC.
It will also involve three separately-funded satellite groups in Dumfries, Perth and Nairn.
