Prima Farms' 6,000 sow unit at Byszkowo in Poland is currently in the throes of refurbishment. When I visited it recently, the first gilts were due to farrow in three weeks. They have five buildings for farrowing, each with three rooms to give a total of 1,200 crates and each building will be for a week. So although it is a massive undertaking on a weekly programme, it is fully all-in, all-out, and a multi-site system too. They will have minimal down time in the farrowing quarters and will use detergent, then wash, disinfect, and fog with Virkon S, then dry. The unit has 500 GPs which have come from the first unit. They will receive 250 a year as replacements. As with other units I have visited in Poland, a tunnel system is in evidence for movingpigs and loading them. All pigs have 16 hours' light, as does unit one. Vaccination programmes are for E. Coil, Erisypelas and Parvo, with quarterly blood tests and a monthly walk-round by the vet. They also do regular anti-biograms to ensure effective treatment for any scours. The company have just taken on another 1,000 hectares around the unit. There are three rather large old sheds. These are currently being converted into wean-to-finish places. The new slats are being positioned by forklift as theyare too heavy to lift by hand.
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