RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT VILLAGE. The buildings and equipment of the future

The SPACE 2012 R&D village focussed on cattle buildings and equipment. The Brittany Chambers of Agriculture and SPACE 2013 invite those involved in pig and poultry production to think about the future of their business: what changes will be introduced and how their production methods can be adapted for sustainable intensive agriculture.

This is the challenge for farmers who wish to renovate their buildings in the short or medium term, construct new buildings or change their equipment.

The Research & Development village is a central feature of SPACE 2013, covering an area of over 300 m2. It provides a wide range of presentations, demonstrations, discussion, debate and reports to help those in the animal production industry to look to the future. It aims to provide specific answers to the choices that will have to be made to improve the production conditions (increased productivity with better working conditions, animal welfare, quality and safety) while meeting environmental targets (energy saving, energy production, integration of the farm into its environment, etc).

For pig and poultry production, performance is determined not only by the practices and savoir-faire of the farmers but by the buildings and the equipment.

Poultry

A high tech chicken house and equipment will be on show illustrating how production facilities can be brought up to standard by constructing or renovating buildings. The chicken house design includes a wide range of equipment or materials that can be used for construction or renovation: insulation, ventilation, temperature regulation, energy saving, waste recycling, etc. To add grist to our mill, new production methods will be presented and we will explore the world to discover what technologies are being used elsewhere.

Pigs

There will also be a pig unit and equipment on show for pig production to illustrate solutions for attaining optimum productivity, energy efficiency and environmental performance: electronic feeding systems for meat pigs, sorting pen and vision systems for conformation, V scrapers, infrared farrowing detection, piglet nests, workplace lighting, air cleaner with biological filter, etc.
One of the solutions for improving performance is to group production sites with specialisation (shared farrowing unit, etc) and the production of complementary sources of revenue such as anaerobic digestion. There will be a demonstration and farmers will relate their experiences.

Waste recycling

The central part of the village will cover manure spreading equipment. Given the current high cost of raw materials, it is essential to manage waste and respect the land. Certification of systems for spreading liquid and solid manure is in progress. This section will focus on the key points of this certification and its effect on equipment.

At the heart of SPACE, the 2013 Village will be above all, as each year, the opportunity for finding out about and discussing a particular theme. Farmers who have already taken the first steps will share their experience and experts from the Chambers of Agriculture will explain how farmers can MAKE PROVISION FOR THE FUTURE by asking the right questions.