AN INTERESTING and innovative pen concept for organic pig farming operations, has been launched by Lower Saxon pig farming specialists, WEDA Dammann and Westerkamp, which has just completed an order for the set-up.

What it calls the Be.Well concept focusses on the well-being and health of pigs that are easy and safe to work around, and included a reconstruction of pens in an open wooden house with roaming space.

Maximum hygiene standards mean that individual pens are separated by gates, but for cleaning purposes, the gates can be opened to the side and mounted to a wall. WEDA's head of development, Ralf Meyer, added: “Thanks to a special door hinge, the gates can be easily lifted out of the straw and opened and closed in both directions. Subsequently, the manure can be pushed away with one movement.

"The animal area is made of stainless steel and synthetic materials, which makes the pen easy to clean and compliant with maximum hygiene standards."

Open, clear design of farrowing pens means that the piglet nest and trough is located at the corridor and if necessary, it is possible to restrain the sow for a short time for treatment purposes without a worker having to enter the sow area. The grid used to restrain the sow for short periods of time serves to separate the piglet nest when open.

The design can also allow short-term sow restraint to tend to the piglets.

The water trough was designed close to the floor to also allow the piglets to drink from there.