Good hygiene is paramount in all livestock buildings, and more so now than ever when producers are continually being challenged to reduce their reliance on antibiotics.

Farms in the organic and conventional sectors attach equal importance to individual, hygienic housing conditions with pig farming in particular witnessing an increasing demand for housing concepts that focus on the health and performance of the animals.

This is especially true in times when new types of infectious diseases are spreading worldwide which in turn has seen WEDA Dammann and Westerkamp respond to the specific requirements of its keepers. As it is, they are the sole manufacturers to offer hygienic pen walls and modules in a natural wooden look.

Up until now, pens in the conventional sector have been equipped with the usual blue or grey hard PVC boards. In organic farming, on the other hand, operators have often used wood.

“Real wood however, has the disadvantage that dirt and bacteria settle in the fabric. With our new plastic boards in a wooden look, on the other hand, the hygiene standards under ecological husbandry conditions can be achieved quite easily because nothing sticks after cleaning,” argues WEDA development manager Ralf Meyer.

Easy to construct and UV-resistant, the wooden look pen modules thus combine the best properties of both materials. Furthermore, the new wooden look boards are easy to assemble.

“Moreover, their surface is UV-resistant. This makes the material ideal for open stables with outdoor runs,” says Ralf Meyer.

WEDA Dammann and Westerkamp responds to these specific requirements of pig keepers and is the only manufacturer to offer its hygienic pen walls and modules in a natural wooden look

WEDA Dammann and Westerkamp responds to these specific requirements of pig keepers and is the only manufacturer to offer its hygienic pen walls and modules in a natural wooden look

The additional costs, on the other hand, are low. The offer has also been extended to Hy.Board modules which resulted in the Lower Saxony specialist for pig husbandry decide to immediately extend the offer to the flexible, hygienic Hy.Board modules, whose sides are additionally welded.

These pen walls made of PVC were developed especially for WEDA and are available in individual, adaptable sizes. The Hy.Boards are also quick and easy to assemble and clean.

WEDA’s first project was to equip the organic farm of Arche Wilhelminenhof, from Bakum in Lower Saxony with the innovative wooden look pens within a very short time, where the complete pens of the open stable with outdoor run were equipped.

“The new material as well as the look fit perfectly into our existing concept, it’s a completely different look,” says operator Angelika Balz happily.

"This is not least due to the fact that other components, such as the gates, are made of stainless steel. They just open like the pens, are also very easy to clean, so that our entire farm now meets the highest hygiene standards,” concluded Angelika Balz.