Precision pig farming is the way ahead for sustainable, green, resource-light systems which are kind to both pigs and people. That is the vision of a group of influential visitors from Indiana.
A high-level delegation – representing housing manufacturers, engineers, livestock specialists and pig farmers – travelled to the UK to visit Farmex and Dicam Technology Ltd, in Berkshire and Suffolk respectively, to gain more information on the possibilities offered by the companies’ control and monitoring technology and how it can help them achieve their aims.
In 2016 members of the group set up an organisation called Precision Livestock Systems to “pursue innovation in animal agriculture”. This includes implementing “transformative technologies to increase visibility, employee satisfaction, pig performance, food safety and environmental sustainability”.
Farmex systems are already widely used in Nebraska and, following acquisitions, interest has been created in Indiana which, with over four million pigs, is the fifth largest pig-producing state in the USA.
“US famers and farming companies have been quicker than the British to seize the financial and management benefits that this technology offers,” said Hugh Crabtree, Farmex managing director.
