Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T14:11:55.684Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Västgötmodellen: Sweden's sustainable alternative for swine production

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

Mark S. Honeyman
Mark S. Honeyman
Affiliation:
An assistant professor of animal science and coordinator of the Outlying Research System, Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011.
Get access

Abstract

In a harsh, northern climate and under restrictive animal welfare laws and a strict ban on the use of subtherapeutic antibiotics, Swedish pig farmers have developed a managementintensive system of pig production that relies on straw, the animals' natural behavior, group housing dynamics, and keen husbandry skills. The system is very efficient, with excellent pig reproduction and growth performance. The housing is simple and versatile. Called “Västgötmodellen” after the region in western Sweden where it was developed by farmers during the 1980s, the system now is successfully used on approximately 100 farms in Sweden. The system is specific to producing feeder or weanerpigs of 25 to 30 kg for feeding in more conventional European-style finishing units. Västgötmodellen may represent an agricultural system that is well adapted and economically competitive on modest-sized farms but not well suited for very large farms.

Keywords

sustainable livestock systemslivestock housinganimal behavior
Type
Articles
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 10 , Issue 3 , September 1995 , pp. 129 - 132
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Algers, B. 1991. Group housing of farrowing sows, health aspects of a new system. Proceedings, Seventh International Congress on Animal Hygiene, Leipzig, Germany, pp. 851–857.Google Scholar
2.Algers, B. 1992. Is a good mother just a good udder? Piglet health in relation to sow housing and behavior. Proceedings, Eighth International Conference on Production Diseases in Farm Animals. Univ. of Berne, Switzerland, pp. 348–358.Google Scholar
3.Algers, B. 1993. Nursing in pigs: Communicating needs and distributing resources. J. Animal Sci. 71:2826–2831.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.Baker, F.H., Busby, F.E., Raun, N.S., and Yazman, J.A.. 1990. The relationships and roles of animals in sustainable agriculture on sustainable farms. Professional Animal Scientist 6(3):36–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Bowman, G. 1993. Fitting the farm to the hog. The New Farm 15(6):35–39.Google Scholar
6.Halverson, M. 1991a. Farm animal welfare: Crisis or opportunity for agriculture agriculture? Staff Paper 91–1. Dept. of Agric. and Applied Economics, Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul.Google Scholar
7.Halverson, M. 1991b. Using nature as both mentor and model: Animal welfare research and development in sustainable swine production. Staff Paper 91–26. Dept. of Agric. and Applied Economics, Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul.Google Scholar
8.Halverson, M. 1994. Whole-hog housing. The New Farm 16(2):51–54, 62.Google Scholar
9.Hemsworth, P.H., Brand, A., and Willems, P.. 1981. The behavioural response of sows to the presence of human beings and its relation to productivity. Livestock Production Sci. 8:67–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10.Honeyman, M.S. 1991. Sustainable swine production in the U.S. Corn Belt. Amer. J. Alternative Agric. 6:63–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Jensen, P. 1986. Observations on the maternal behaviour of free-ranging domestic pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Scientist 16:131–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Jensen, P., Floren, K., and Hobroh, B.. 1987. Peri-parturient changes in freeranging domestic pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Scientist 17:69–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13.Mayrose, V.B., Foster, K., Libal, G.W., and Esbenshade, K.L.. 1991. Performance guidelines for the swine operation. AS-566. Pork Industry Handbook. Cooperative Extension, Iowa State Univ., Ames.Google Scholar
14.Stevermer, E.J. 1993. 1992 Iowa Swine Enterprise Record Summary. EJS-206. Cooperative Extension, Iowa State Univ., Ames.Google Scholar