The Tonisity Approach
Challenge, Solution, Proof
The Tonisity Total Programme addresses a number of key challenges which a pig faces over its lifetime.
Challenge:
Pre-weaning mortality is the most prevalent economic and welfare issue in pig production globally, and generally varies between 5-40%, representing a significant loss of income for producers.
Solution:
Tonisity has conducted numerous trials on pre-weaning mortality around the world, and we’ve found that by feeding Tonisity Px to pigs from days 2-8, on average we see a 30% reduction in mortality. In Spain, we saw a 75% reduction in PWM (16-009-P-R). In the USA, we saw that 81% of the pigs experienced a 51.6% reduction in mortality (18-015-P-P).
Challenge:
Piglet diarrhea, or ‘scouring,’ is a common event during the neonatal and post-weaning phases of life. It can be caused by a variety of factors, and often proves fatal.
Solution:
In a US trial in which the participating pigs were all scouring, after combining mortality and fall-behind data, the Tonisity Px group averaged a 42% reduction in these categories (15-004-P-R). When we did a similar US trial one year later in a scouring farm, the recovery rate after 5 days was 71% in the Tonisity Px group compared to only 62% in the control. Tonisity Px pigs were 1.48 times more likely to recover in that time period (16-004-P-R).
Challenge:
If your pigs aren’t gaining weight, you aren’t maximising your profits.
Solution:
We’ve observed improvements in weight gain in various trials in the US and Europe. In the US, the Tonisity Px group pigs weighed 100g more at day 8 and 783g more at day 40, an increase of 10% in ADG (16-011-P-R). In Poland, the Tonisity Px pigs weighed 1.7kg more with a 30 g/d increase in ADG, as compared to the control (17-031-P-R).
Challenge:
Milk replacers are a common feed supplement, but they require significant upfront investment and continuous maintenance.
Solution:
In a trial conducted at Wageningen University (Netherlands), we found that at weaning, on average the Tonisity Px group was 0.51 kg heavier than Control piglets and 0.3 kg heavier than either of the milk replacer groups. At 35 days post-weaning, the Tonisity Px pigs were 1.5 kg heavier than Control pigs and 0.7-1.7 kg heavier than both milk replacer groups.