BPEX

Call: 01908 844368

Current Research & Development Programmes

PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY AND ENVIRONMENT

  • Defining the benefits of new genotypes
  • Agewean
  • Nutwean
  • Gutwean
  • An investigation into the effect of milk supplementation using a milk line system on performance and behaviour in naturally suckled piglets
  • Development and evaluation of low-phytate wheat germplasm to reduce diffuse phosphate pollution from pig and poultry units.
  • Video image analysis technology for rapid pig weight estimation
  • Commercial pig unit energy monitoring project
  • Lupins in sustainable agriculture (LISA)
  • Improved utilisation of farm manures and biosolids through the development of rapid analysis via near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS)
  • Raising awareness of climate change with farmers and land managers

 

HEALTH AND WELFARE

  • Implementation of existing knowledge on tail biting by the development and evaluation of prevention and outbreak husbandry advisory tools
  • Aetiology, pathogenesis and immunology of porcine post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome: genetic-environmental interactions
  • Risk factors for pig disease
  • Pig herd health plans (digital capture)
  • Control of Porcine Circovirus Disease (PCVD)
  • Adding value to farm assurance: on-farm evaluation of health and welfare outcomes
  • On farm epidemiology of major enteric diseases
  • Assessing animal welfare on British pig farms
  • The prevalence and cost of tail biting in different production systems
  • Joint-ill in piglets and its consequences for production losses in the grower-finisher herd
  • Infection with APP and PRRSV in finishing pigs
  • Development of an Acute Phase Protein Index as an objective indicator of sub-clinical disease status in pigs

 

MEAT QUALITY

  • Attitudes, practices and state-of-the-art regarding piglet castration in Europe (PIGCAS)
  • Improvement of pork tenderness and flavour on-farm
  • Reduction of backfat skatole through dietary means
  • Comparison of pork quality traits in fast and slow growing pigs
  • Exercise to promote the use of ph meters in British abattoirs
  • Consumer acceptability of British pig meat at retail
  • Review of factors influencing pork eating quality

 

BPEX-FUNDED PROJECTS ON-GOING, BUT THUS FAR WITH INSUFFICIENT RESULTS TO REPORT

  • Seasonality in breeding pigs
  • Genetics of litter size and foetal loss in pigs
  • Defining the behaviour of different pig genotypes
  • Cost benefit analysis of health management strategies in finishing pigs
  • Does the method of pig production affect human health?
  • Improving the quality of British pork and bacon
  • An environmental analysis of the consequences of using home grown protein sources in pig diets
  • The use of home-grown legumes as a protein source in pig diets
  • The detection of health problems through automated recording of feeding behaviour


For further information regarding any of these projects please contact:

Mark Wilson, Director Pig Industry Development
Mark.Wilson@bpex.org.uk or 01908 844256