Using Absolute Catheter in Spain

SPAIN - A testimonial letter from Gestion Veterinaria Porcina in Madrid to Absolute Swine Insemination Co (ASIC) explains the veterinarian's enthusiasm for the company's Absolute catheters.
calendar icon 19 March 2014
clock icon 4 minute read

Spain, with 2.6 million breeding sows, is the second largest census of the EU, applying the technique of artificial insemination, in over 90 per cent of the holdings of intensive production, according to Pedro Garcia Casado PhD of Gestion Veterinaria Porcina in Madrid.

He wrote in a letter to ASCI: "I have spent 20 years working as a researcher at the Centre for Spanish administration, in the field of breeding pigs. Throughout these years, I have had the opportunity to deepen the understanding of the physiology of reproduction, and then applied the latest techniques that could improve the performance of productive farms.

"So far, in order to ensure success with artificial insemination, it was necessary to use dosage seminal tempered and introduce diluted semen slowly, in order to avoid the occurrence of the reflux of the same. This required keeping one or two operators dedicated to the insemination, an average of eight minutes per sow, with the workforce, one of the parameters of a more expensive operation.

"When we started working with the Absolute system, which impressed us most was the ease of use and the speed with which you can insemination do it in a sow. Later, when you introduced the system on a farm and is used routinely, you realize that Bought unconsciously, a special touch to see if the sow is dilated or should relax and the worker "likes" inseminate. For us, farm advisors, the system Absolute gives us a very effective tool to solve different types of problems, as it prevents the heat dose, the system learns very fast, we have fallen to 1 minute per insemination, with the consequent saving manpower and we have reduced the number of people dedicated to inseminate.

"Another highlight is the number of inseminations. With the system of Absolute, with just two inseminations, divided by the number of days from weaning to oestrus, we have facilitated the work of many farms previously done by three, even four inseminations in the same sow. Apart from savings in the number of doses, the protocol will provide work to the worker and not have to "think". Just to devote more time to heat detection and then, depending on the weaning – oestrus period, to establish the time of the inseminations. Then you learn the protocol and the workers are grateful.

"The letter that we keep in the sleeve is productive results. Once detected problems in handling and insemination resolved and facilitated the work with the system Absolute just have to wait for the results. In the last farm where we began to work with the Absolute, we have increased by nine per cent the results of fertility to 25 days of gestation and "summer". And in terms of the piglets, always increase the previous data. An example, the data from these farm 950 sows:

"The trial took place in a 950-sow farm, which routinely uses artificial insemination with a traditional spiral disposable catheter.

"The productive parameters of the farm during 2006 were:

  • Fertility: 80.7
  • Total piglets born: 11.1
  • Piglets born alive: 10.3
  • Piglets born dead: 1.1

"The trial started in February and it lasted until the first week of June 2007. A total of 15 weeks of services were studied. The first week just 20 per cent of the sows were bred with intra uterine system, gradually increasing that percentage until June, when the 100 per cent of the sows were bred with Absolute®."

The results were as follows:

Dr Casado concluded: "Actually, the Absolute system is a tool for Veterinary, which helps you to "sort" and capitalise on the time of workers in the management of the covering of the sow, while easier to obtain the best results productive.

"Now our challenge is to obtain the greatest benefit of this system insemination, working with the frozen semen. And you tell!"

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