Alan Stewart from Harper Adams was viewing the world through the eyes of a pig at the Shropshire Pig Club, led by Miriam Parker MBE, LivestockWise Ltd.Miriam got the group to think like a pig to help producers develop handling systems that keep pigs in their ‘comfort zone’ and are less stressful to both the animal and handler.
She discussed ways to reduce or make handling easier when moving pigs around the unit, including using weighing systems. Producers should walk the route and think like a pig to try and identify areas that will stop the pigs moving forward eg:
• drains, objects or chains to explore
• sharp bends
• poor lighting – either too bright or too dark
One of the producers said afterwards, “I will be reviewing the way I load my pigs!”
There is more information in BPEX Work Instruction 7: Loading and unloading pigs, available from: www.bpex.org.uk/publications/WorkInstructions.aspx
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