Clean water equals more pigs and profit
Thanks to clean water, a farmer has reduced pig mortality and increased turnover.
Jørgen Jørgensen from Skovhave Landbrug (Forest Garden Agriculture) in Denmark has a breeding herd with 600 sows that produce close to 20,000 pigs per year. On his farm, mortality among piglets is very low and productivity per sow has increased by 20%. A DCW disinfection generator is part of the explanation.
“My philosophy is that management, feeding, climate and water must all be 100% in order. To ensure clean water, we have connected a disinfection unit to the water supply. This has made a significant difference to the mortality rate among our pre-weaning piglets, which fell by 6.5% after we installed the unit,” says Jørgen Jørgensen, who considers the investment well worth making. He has calculated the payback period of the DCW generator, including operating expenses, to be about 6 months.
The reduced mortality rate among piglets corresponds to an additional turnover of almost half a million DKK a year. In addition, there are fewer expenses for medicine and feed, as well as better growth and productivity. The pigs have a good intestinal flora and are more robust. Previously, the pigs typically weighed 5.5 kg at weaning – now they weigh 7.5 kg.
“I am absolutely convinced that water plays a major role in the health of the pigs. Let me give you an example. We have stalls that are empty for maybe up to a few weeks. When we put the pigs in, there is an increased risk of bacteria such as e-coli in the drinking water. We now avoid this with the disinfection unit, which ensures the water is always clean,” Jørgen Jørgensen explains.
A safe and eco-friendly solution
The DCW generator uses just salt, water, and electricity to produce the non-toxic disinfectant Neuthox. Added to the water supply, it disinfects the water and removes disease-causing bacteria such as e-coli and salmonella that have good growth conditions in water pipes and drinking nozzles.
NEUTHOX is primarily composed of the active substance hypochlorous acid (HOCl), the same substance the human immune system uses to fight infection. It is approved for food production and drinking water.
In addition to being added to the water supply, NEUTHOX can also be used in wet feed and for stable disinfection.
Operations manager with piglet
Key achievements at Skovhave Landbrug:
- Improved productivity per sow
- Reduced mortality among piglets
- Increased pig weight at weaning
- Additional turnover
- Fewer expenses for medicine and feed
Piglets drinking clean water