U.S. Trains Chinese Producers About Common Swine Diseases

The U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC) latest technical training in promoting swine health in China involves helping Chinese swine producers improve the diagnosis and control of common swine diseases

April 1, 2011

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The U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC) latest technical training in promoting swine health in China involves helping Chinese swine producers improve the diagnosis and control of common swine diseases.

“We expect the mortality and farrowing rate will be improved on the farms where we were engaged,” said Jason Yan, USGC technical program director in China. “Swine producers in China conduct many on-farm trials, but few of them design their experiments using proper statistical methods.”

The on-farm training, conducted by Robert Morrison, DVM, of the University of Minnesota, provided experience with clinical trial design, hypothesis tests and statistical methods for some of China’s most progressive pork producers.

Morrison found producers had wide knowledge gaps but also wide interest in conducting trials directed at improving swine health. Producers were especially concerned with porcine circovirus and hog cholera.

“I am constantly impressed by the intense desire of the Chinese producers and their technical staff to learn,” Morrison said after the workshops.

The adoption by Chinese farms of updated technology will enable the USGC to use its online benchmarking program to measure health improvements made through the program.

“More pigs and successful expansion will increase feedgrain utilization,” Yan said.

China is the world’s leader in hog production, with 59% of the world’s sows in 2010.

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