Extremely hot weather can pose problems on pig farms, the veterinary adviser to pig-breeding company ACMC, Paul Thomson, has warned.
In particular, producers should monitor temperatures in their AI storage cabinets and water flow rates, he said.
AI cabinets should be checked twice daily to see that they are maintaining the required temperature, as the shelf-life of sperm that has overheated will be seriously reduced.
Water flow in piggeries is important at all times of the year, he added, but during extremely hot weather it’s vital to ensure that flow-rates are fast enough to ensure all classes of stock have access to clean water in sufficient quantities.
As a minimum, finishing pigs between 20kg and slaughter need flow-rates of 1.0-1.5 lit/min, while sows need 2.0 lit/min.