Technological Options to Ameliorate Waste Treatment of Intensive Pig Production in China:An Analysis Based on Bio-Economic Model

Ameliorating waste treatment by technological improvements affects the economic and the ecological-environment benefits of intensive pig production. The objective of the research was to develop and test a method to determine the technical optimization to ameliorate waste treatment methods and gain insight into the relationship between technological options and the economic and ecological effects. We developed an integrated bio-economic model which incorporates the farming production and waste disposal systems to simulate the impact of technological improvements in pig manure treatment on economic and environmental benefits for the case of a pilot farm in Beijing, China. Based on different waste treatment technology options, three scenarios are applied for the simulation analysis of the model. The simulation results reveal that the economic-environmental benefits of the livestock farm could be improved by reducing the cropland manure application and increasing the composting production with the current technologies. Nevertheless, the technical efficiency, the waste treatment capacity and the economic benefits could be further improved by the introduction of new technologies. It implies that technological and economic support policies should be implemented comprehensively on waste disposal and resource utilization to promote sustainable development in intensive livestock production in China.

Regional Carbon Emission Performance of Pig Production in China according to Malmquist-DEA Approach

As pig production is a main contributor of greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions from livestock sector,the carbon emissions of pig production are attracting increasing attention,especially in the developing countries. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2001 to 2012,this paper measures the provincial carbon emission performance(CEP) of pig production and we use a Malmquist DEA approach to analyze the decomposition which includes desirable and undesirable output. Furthermore,the regional disparity in carbon emission performance of pig production is also analyzed and finally the convergence is tested. The main results are as follows:(i) there are provincial differences in carbon emission performance changing of pig production in China,and the carbon emission performance of pig production in 30 provinces has a downward trend during this period;(ii) among China’s three major economic regions,in terms of carbon emission performance of pig production,they are ranked in descending order as follows: Western China,Central China and Eastern China;(iii) convergence testing shows that there is a convergence trend for carbon emission performance both nationally and for the three regions.

Systems Dynamic Digraph Analysis of Scale Pig Production Development in Center China

Scale pig production is an effective approach to improve farmers＇ income. Many pig feeding villages and intensive pig farms has presented rapidly in Center China in recent years, the focus of large quantity of manure and sewage discharged by pig farms has become the leading source of pollution in vast rural areas. How to dissolve the contravention between the development of scale pig production and the serious pollution caused by swine excreta in rural area is a complex systematic problem. An approach named Systems Dynamic Digraph Analysis Approach is presented in this paper. And the approach is applied to analyze the scale pig breeding system in small hill watershed area systematically. A case of Pingxiang Taihua pig farm in the west region of Jinggang Mountain, which is a typical intensive pig farm in small hill watershed area in Center China, was studied, after the systematical analyses with its system dynamic digraph, three common management policies are presented at the end of the paper.

Contribution of additives Cu to its accumulation in pig feces: study in Beijing and Fuxin of China

Massive amounts of pig manure are produced by intensive pig farm in China, and the composition of pig manure has changed much due to the use of feed additives. However, little is known about the exact Cu （copper） feed as additives or present as contaminants in pig feed and the residues in feces. One hundred and thirty-seven feeds and one hundred and forty-two fecal samples from 48 pig farms were collected in Beijing and Fuxin cities in 1999 and 2005, respectively. The concentrations of Cu were in the range of 6.86-395.19 mg/kg in the feed samples, and the mean values were in the order of weaner〉 grower-finisher〉 sow＇s feeds. The high concentrations over EU recommendations implied that excessive levels of Cu are fed on many pig farms in Beijing and Fuxin. Cu was also present in high concentrations in feces, and concentrations were highly variable. Cu concentrations in the feces from grower-finisher and weaner pigs were significantly greater than feces of sows. The super-intensive and small-scale farms had higher levels of Cu in feces than the middle farms. Cu concentrations in pig feces were approximately 5-times greater than in pig feeds. Feed management in grower-finisher pigs on super-intensive and small-scale pig farms is needed to reduce high Cu concentrations in feces and risks to soil contamination while feces are land-applied.

Analysis of Pig Price Fluctuation in Recent Decade Based on the Changes in Breeding Scale

In recent decade, the fluctuation of pig price has become more and more acute with obvious periodicity. Currently, the pig breeding mode dominated by individual households leads to acute fluctuation of pig price to some extent. The scale expansion of recent decade intensified the fluc- tuation of pig price in the short term but will stabilize the price in the long term. Therefore. it is necessary to expand breeding scale for maintaining long-term price stability and the optimal scale should be chosen according to the circumstances to ensure the social benefit maximization.

Risk-Mitigation for Antimicrobial Resistance in Danish Swine Herds at a National Level

In Denmark, actions to mitigate the risk related to antimicrobial resistance have been put in place continuously. Due to an increase in the consumption of antimicrobials in the Danish pig production further actions were implemented in July 2010. These were： a voluntary ban on use of cephalosporin in Danish swine herds for a 2-year period and a so-called Yellow Card scheme from the DVFA （Danish Veterinary and Food Administration）. Farmers with the highest use of antibiotics receive a Yellow Card. In 2010, approximately 10% of Danish herds were above the Yellow Card threshold value. The consumption of antimicrobials in pigs is evaluated as ADD （animal daily doses） per 100 animals over the last 9 months （by age group）. Current permit limits for a Yellow Card in ADD/100 animal days are 5.2 （sows and piglets）, 28 （weaners）, and 8 （finishers）. In July 2010, farmers with an antimicrobial use close to these limits were warned by the DVFA, that unless actions were taken to reduce their antimicrobial use, they would receive a Yellow Card in December 2010. The means are, for instance, restrictions on oral medication usage and supervision from the authorities to which most expenses are to be covered by the farmer. The warning resulted in a decrease in the national consumption to pigs of 12.5% during the last half-year of 2010 compared to the same half-year in 2009. This decrease continued into 2011 where the consumption in January-February was 24.5% lower than for January-February 2010.

Online ultrasonic terminal for measuring pig backfat thickness

The measurement of pig backfat thickness(PBFT)has to stand up to challenges with the reliability,accuracy,and convenience.Acquiring PBFT timely and precisely from a finite distance is extremely necessary to improve the process of pig production and implement effective management.In an attempt to alleviate these problems,an online handheld terminal was designed with a new method based on ultrasonic technology for measuring PBFT during the process of pig breeding,which can overcome the difficulties encountered in other destructive means.The terminal comprised three main components:a main microcontroller unit(MCU)to measure PBFT,a RFID module to identify each pig and send data(e.g.identity,measurement time and PBFT)to a server via wireless transmission module,and an ultrasonic transducer to drive and receive signals between them.A measurement error within 0-1 mm was acquired through testing three groups of samples.Results indicated that this handheld terminal had a required accuracy and proved that the ultrasonic wave processing method can be deployed in a mobile terminal for PBFT measurement.It also provided a feasible nondestructive alternative to measure PBFT.Associated with information management software platform,this method may ultimately help pig production farmers measure the PBFT accurately and conveniently,and improve the pig production efficiency.

Prediction of pork supply via the calculation of pig population based on population prediction model

Based on the perspective of pig population system prediction,and accorded to principle of pig months transfer,this paper refers to the modeling principle and method of discrete population quantity prediction model.Then the prediction model of pork supply is derived and established:Firstly,the recursive model of pig population system and estimation model of pork supply was established.Then this study estimated the sum of monthly mortality and culling rate of breeding sows.Furthermore,the method for new left gilts in each month and estimation of breeding sows at each month of age was established.Last,this research established the estimation method model of the initial state of pig population.On this basis,an example calculation is made to predict the monthly pork supply in Heilongjiang Province from January 2016 to March 2018 in the future.The results showed that the prediction model of pork supply based on the prediction of pig population system is an effective perspective to study the forecast of pork supply.In the prediction stage,the prediction accuracy of the number of slaughtered fattened hogs was 96.36%and 97.54%,and the prediction accuracy of pork supply was 98.08%and 93.82%.This study not only lay a theoretical foundation for further study on the balance between pork supply and demand,but also helps to guide pork producers and governments at all levels to make relevant production decisions and plans.