Critical success factors of PRDC management in Central-Europe

Cooperation and joint technical knowledge of vets and farm managers (experts) are needed for effective pig farming. They have a real influence on production indices and on manifestation and predisposing factors of Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex (PRDC). At the same time the ineffective farm management is responsible for imprudent overuse of antibiotics and economic losses. In this study we surveyed Hungarian, Czech and Slovak swine farm experts’ opinion on critical farm management factors of PRDC.

From February to May 2014 63 vets and 38 farm managers were personally questioned about theoretical (TH) and practical (PR) key success factors and their emergency needs (EN) in PRDC management by using the ResPig™ questionnaire. The 101 swine farm experts were from 63 farms (66,500 sows) located in Hungary, 11 (14,050) in the Czech Republic and 1 (2,000) in Slovakia, respectively. Vets and farm managers had to select the 10 most important PRDC prevention and control management factors out of 30 in terms of building a new farm (TH) and the operation of the farms that they work on (PR). Furthermore, they had to select and score on a 100 point scale the most critical PRDC management factors in their herds’ future operation (EN).

According the 101 respondents the 10 most critical success factors in PRDC when a new farm is built are as follows: Herd Health Security–HHS (74% of the respondents), All-In-All-Out–AIAO (70%), Good Vet Practice-GVP (70%), Staff-S (67%), Feed Quality–FQ (67%), Management–M (60%), Farm Isolation–FI (60%), Low Farm Density–LFD (60%), Low Disposal Rate-LDR (mortality, culling) (60%), Stocking Density–SD (55%). In operation of their farms the 10 most important factors are: AIAO (100%), S (100%), GVP (86%), FQ (86%), M (86%), HHS (71%), Hygiene Level–HL (57%), Feed Safety – FS (43%), Owner Attitude – OA (43%), LFD (29%). In a 100 point scale the 10 most critical factors are: LFD 65 points on average, AIAO 64, FS 57, FQ 55, HL 53, GVP 50, HHS 49, S 49, M 49 and OA 48.

HHS, AIAO, GVP, S, LFD, FQ and M were identified as critical factors in PRDC management in every survey and FS, HL and OA were selected as key elements of the operation. LDR was only selected in one survey as production index. Feed conversation ratio, average daily gain and number of pigs marketed were never identified as key factors. The findings of the study revealed that the lack of effective farm management and the relating prevalent, recurring, operational problems on the farms (weak HHS, lack of AIAO, unsure FQ and poor HL) have the most detrimental effect on the PRDC status on Central-European pig farms.

Disclosure of Interest: None Declared.