‘Making pig farming great again’ will be the theme at the 2017 Irish Pig Health Society Symposium, which moves to the Charleville Park Hotel, Charleville, County Cork on Tuesday, April 11.
Speakers from Holland, United Kingdom and Ireland will form the line up at this year’s event, which is sponsored by Interchem.
The keynote speaker is John FitzGerald, Chairman of the UK’s Pig Health and Welfare Council’s Antimicrobial Use Sub-Group.
He will address the issue of antimicrobial resistance and outline steps already taken by the UK industry in order to reduce and refine the use of critically important antibiotics, while also discussing the implications of a potential ban of in-feed Zinc Oxide in Europe.
Waterford-based pig farmer Seamie Murphy will speak frankly about pig farming and his experiences in batch farrowing, having changed from a more traditional system of pig farming.
Meanwhile, Dutch farmers have the highest manure costs in the world and Jan Pijnenburg will give insight into solutions farmers are coming up with to ease the burden.
The conference opens at midday, with a hog roast lunch, followed by the lecture sessions and access to the exhibition hall.
IPHS President, Colin Marry said that the move to Cork for this year’s event is to facilitate the large proportion of pig farmers that travel from that region each year.
“This is the country’s largest pig event and it is expected to feature in excess of 35 exhibitors from across the industry.”
This year’s event is also offering the opportunity to join a farm tour of Parknageragh Pig Breeders and Mike McAuliffe Pig Breeders in Castleisland, Co. Kerry.
Admission charge to the symposium is €25 per person (or €50 to include the sit-down evening meal). Any further enquiries for the event or to partake in the farm tour, can be made directly with the IPHS President, Colin Marry, at: 087-2488792.
