What is a Specific Pathogen-Free (SPF) farm?

Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) farms represent the highest health standards for pig production. SPF farms do not have the most important pathogens that negatively affect pig performance. These pathogens can cause clinical and subclinical symptoms. In some cases, symptoms are subclinical, making it difficult to identify definitive signs of disease. However, even this can lead to lower performance indicators such as lower daily gain (ADG), poor feed conversion efficiency (FCR) and batch uniformity.

The specific pathogens and diseases excluded by SPF farms are shown in Figure 1 and include:

Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Contagious Pleuropneumonia (APP)

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS)

Atrophic rhinitis (AR)

dysentery

Scabies

PED

Advantages of SPF pig production

As shown in Figure 2, SPF farms offer significant advantages over SHS farms, particularly in terms of animal welfare, antibiotic use, performance, sustainability standards, pig selection, and cost.

Animal welfare: SPF farms significantly reduce disease incidence compared to SHS farms, thus ensuring higher animal welfare standards. This is in line with the "Five Fundamental Principles of Animal Welfare" set by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in the rearing of animals by humans: physiological welfare, environmental welfare, health welfare, behavioural welfare and psychological welfare.

Antibiotic use: Reducing disease incidence can significantly reduce antibiotic use, thereby mitigating the global health challenge of antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest global health challenges of our time and will be the leading cause of death by 2050¹. SPF farms became the main direction leading sustainable and responsible farming practices.

Performance: Many diseases can lead to a decrease in performance due to clinical signs such as pain, fever, loss of appetite or physical discomfort. In some cases, such as mycoplasma infection², ³ can lead to lower daily gain (ADG) and higher feed conversion (FCR) in growing pigs, resulting in reduced performance. In other cases, such as chest transmission⁴ or dysentery⁵, mortality increases (Figure 3). In addition to the previous negative impacts, farms affected by PRRS will face additional reproductive challenges, including: abortions, increased return to oestrus and reduced farrowing rates.

Sustainability: Improvements in feed conversion and growth rates significantly contribute to environmental sustainability. This means that fewer resources such as feed and water are required to raise the same number of pigs. In addition, as shown in Figure 4, overall emissions, including nitrogen, phosphorus, ammonia, and other greenhouse gases, will also be reduced.

Pig selection : One of the keys to breeding is to determine the best parents for further genetic progress. By removing health-related genetic limitations, SPF enhanced the correlation between genotype and phenotype. This improvement increases the accuracy of genetic selection and promotes better breeding results.

Production costs: The reduction in production costs is directly related to increased productivity and high health. Compared to SHS farms, SPF farms have lower mortality rates, less reliance on drugs and vaccines (as vaccines are not needed to prevent non-existent diseases), better feed conversion rates, and greater daily gain. The direct costs associated with various diseases are determined by factors such as the type of disease, the severity of clinical symptoms, and the impact on productivity. Figure 5 shows some of the cost estimates associated with the disease.

The value of SPF pig production

The value of SPF pig production is measured against the benchmark of SHS farms. The value (profit) of SPF pig production depends on:

Historical health status

Historical production performance

The number of pathogens involved

Whether subclinical or clinical symptoms are present

Improved production performance due to the new SPF status

SPF status can directly save some of the cost by not having to be immunized against vaccines such as PRRS, mycoplasma, and chest transmission. However, most of the cost savings and profits will come from other variables. These factors include reduced drug use, improved feed conversion and daily gain, and reduced mortality or elimination rates. Ultimately, as Figure 6 shows, these factors all contribute to the reduction of production costs.

Let's estimate the production value of SPF pigs based on the performance of Spanish fattening farms⁶ (Figure 7): Key performance indicators include feed conversion ratio: 2.48, daily gain: 711 g, mortality rate: 5.9%, culling rate: 2%. The average weight of all pigs sent to the slaughterhouse is 70 kg.

In this case, the average production cost is 1.51 euros per kilogram. However, if the SPF condition is increased by 5%, the cost of production drops to €1.46 and the profit per pig increases by €5.6⁷. If it increases by 10%, the cost will be further reduced to 1.41 euros per kilogram, which will increase the profit per pig by 11.57 euros compared to the average.

As shown in Figure 8, all other factors being equal, by looking at the value of improvement in various parameters, we can estimate the direct profit per pig as follows: €3.55 per 100 g improvement in feed conversion ratio, €1.60 per 100 g increase in daily gain, and €1.56 per 1% reduction in mortality; A 1% reduction in the elimination rate will increase revenue by approximately €0.26.

The SPF pig industry marks significant progress towards higher health standards, productivity and profitability. SPF farms improve animal welfare, reduce antibiotic use, and improve overall performance and sustainability. These benefits lead to tangible economic benefits and highlight the importance of maintaining a high level of health.

To achieve and maintain SPF status, strong and consistent biosecurity measures must be in place. This is where Changrong's biosecurity process plays a key role. By implementing these processes, producers can effectively prevent the introduction of pathogens and ensure the long-term health and stable production of their herds. Changrong's comprehensive biosecurity process includes the implementation of zoning management, access control, a sound cleaning and disinfection process, and strict health monitoring.

As demonstrated, SPF pig production is not just a health criterion, it is a path to a more resilient, productive and sustainable future pig industry.
 

References

1.UN high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance, Report of 2016.

2.Gayán, Sánchez, Lasa, Hernández and Casal. 2024. Mycoplasma Hyopneumoniae Erradication: Analysis of Productive Parameters.

3.Marco et al. 2008. Reduction in Production Costs After an Eradication of Mycoplasma Hyopneumoniae with Tylvalosin from a Sow Farm.

4.Vetoquinol. 2012. Control of Actinobacillus Pleuropneumoniae with Marbocyl, Field Trials.

5.Font. 2006. Economic Impact of Swine Dysentery on Spanish Farms.

6.SIP Consultors. Spanish Growing Results 2023.

7.MSD Animal Health-SIP. 2024. ROI Simulator of improvements in performance.