Energy consumption in livestock housing (pigs)

In a context of rising energy prices, pig breeders are examining the use of techniques designed to reduce their energy consumption. In pig production, "direct" energy, i.e. the energy consumed directly in the buildings where the animals are reared, represents approximately 1.9% of the cost of production (IFIP, GTE-TB 2008).Although this figure is low, it has increased by 12% over the last five years.Furthermore, the situation is likely to become more marked in light of the exhaustion of energy resource s, thus increasing the necessity for better control of consumption.There also appears to be growing interest in the use of renewable energy sources, in particular anaerobic digestion, heat recovery systems and biomass boilers. Prior to embarking on investments in renewable energy sources, however, energy consumption must be controlled. This makes it necessary to have access to baseline figures. A study was therefore carried out in 2006 to pinpoint the levels of energy consumption on farm s by specialism and by item. This detailed analysis can be used to produce an assessment of the measures required to limit energy waste and set out the priority actions to be taken in livestock housing.