The Swine Innovation Centre in the Netherlands will officially close, with the current activities being phased out as of Dec. 31 and the last trials being finalized at the end of 2020, after which the last pigs will be sold, according to a Sept. 10 announcement from Wageningen University & Research (WUR).

To continue its research with swine, Wageningen Livestock Research is working on new research coalitions, the announcement said.

The market for pig research has declined sharply since the disappearance of the product boards in the Netherlands, WUR said. As a result, an important basis for research funding at the Swine Innovation Centre in Sterksel (VIC Skerksel), the Netherlands, has been discontinued.

Annie de Veer, director Wageningen Livestock Research, said, "Investing is necessary to remain a leading innovation center for the pig farming sector. This is not feasible without a structural, solid financial basis. New coalitions for applied research are, therefore, necessary."

Collaboration

The transition in the pig farming sector toward more sustainable and socially responsible pig farming systems makes it necessary to take stock of the expertise and facilities required for innovative and qualitative research, WUR said. This is why Wageningen Livestock Research looks at various partnerships with, among others, knowledge institutions and the business community.

"Different options and different locations are possible in collaboration with parties that also have an interest in a research farm. We also want to conduct more research in practice together with pig farmers in which the pig farmer facilitates and the researchers supervise the on-farm research and safeguard the scientific way of working," Theo Duteweerd, manager of VIC Sterksel, said.

Although the swine research center is closing, pig research will continue, WUR emphasized.

"We are faced with a number of serious challenges, which we are happy to accept. Important issues in the sector clearly need research. Further improvement of the health and welfare of the animals, big data, sensor technology and circular climate-neutral pig farming are examples of research areas that are very relevant for the coming years," de Veer said.

VIC Sterksel is a multifunctional, national and international research center for modern, innovative and sustainable pig farming. Its research covers all aspects of pig farming, including nutrition, welfare, health, emissions, housing and mineral management.