Individual Pig Care (IPC; Zoetis, Paris, France) is a new management tool for pig farmers, based on daily keen observation of pigs, early detection of health problems, and prompt reaction to them, according to Carlos Pineiro of PigCHAMP Pro Europa in Segovia, Spain, and co-authors there and with Zoetis in Paris, France.

In this study, published in Journal of Swine Health and Production, they concluded that IPC improved production and promoted more effective management with more targeted use of medication.

Under the conditions of this study, on farms with low health status, IPC training enables the caregiver to identify and treat sick pigs at an early stage of disease, which may contribute to better growth and productivity during the nursery and growing periods, they added.

Furthermore, the authors remarked, emphasising individual treatment of sick animals through the IPC programme – rather than mass medication – may result in less overall antibiotic usage and improved productivity.

Reference

Pineiro C., J. Morales, A. Dereu, N. Wuyts, O. Azlor, E. Vizcaino and P. Doncecchi. 2014. Individual Pig Care program improves productive performance and animal health in nursery-growing pigs. J. Swine Health Prod. 22:296-299.

Further Reading

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February 2015