1600 sausages eaten testifies to strong interest in new slaughter pigsty
The Open Pigsty event on. The 9th of September 2021 at the pig producer Henrik Mortensen in Farsø was a great success with many visitors. We estimate that there were about 800 visitors who stopped by during the day, where also the mayor of Himmerland municipality Per Bach Laursen stopped by to give the opening speech. The event was held in cooperation with Agrifarm A/S and Big Dutchman A/S.
The new facility is an Agrifarm concept barn with 7,500 stalls, large trays with dry feeding, automatic straw distribution and automatic slurry discharge. The barn is built to produce 31,000 slaughter pigs per year. It is a nice light and airy barn with hybrid ventilation and mechanical floor vacuum, which provides a good indoor climate and at the same time a good working environment.
The journalist from “World’s Best Food” also stopped by our event in Farsø. You can read more in the article below.
Written on 12 September 2021 by World’s Best Food
The sausage maker handed out 1600 sausages when pig producer Henrik Mortensen and Agrifarm A/S held an open house for a new compact slaughter pig house.
Pig producer Henrik Mortensen, Farsø, has built a new compact pig house from Agrifarm. Photo: Claus Haagensen
Pig producer and former chairman of the National Association of Danish Pig Producers Henrik Mortensen was a happy man on Thursday 9 September 2021. There he officially handed over his newly purchased housing system for slaughter pigs from Agrifarm.
It happened on a day when there was also an open house, and where 1600 ate sausages makes the organizers guess that about 800 people stopped by. Among them the mayor of Vesthimmerland Municipality Per Bach Laursen, who in his speech congratulated Henrik Mortensen many times on the new stable.
– I had to say hello and thank you for the good cooperation from the municipality’s environmental department. What Henrik has done here is an example of how a technological solution can carry us into the future. Vesthimmerland will be in a bad place if we do not get a proper agricultural reform this time, because somewhere between 10 and 15 percent of the citizens in Vesthimmerland Municipality are directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture, said Per Bach Laursen.
31,000 slaughter pigs in facilities anyone can use
With the new housing facility, Henrik Mortensen can produce 31,000 slaughter pigs per year. The barn is equipped with weight sorting and large paths, which is one of the things Henrik Mortensen paid particular attention to when buying the barn.
– I would like to work in that myself, and I think many others would like to as well. The large space with light, air and high ceilings, where the animals can walk freely in large flocks, appeals to me, says Henrik Mortensen.
He has chosen the Agrifarm barn primarily because it is a very compact building and a cheap and light solution has been made with a lot of plastic and steel.
– In my time as president of the national association, this was something we worked on, and we have delivered here. In the mechanisation itself, I have said from the beginning “keep it simple”. Cord pulls for changing feed, tried and tested and familiar feeders and a mechanical stall system. It’s a barn system that everyone can use,” says Henrik Mortensen.
More livestock facilities on the way
Pig farmer Frank Johansen, Vendsyssel; here on a visit to a new barn from Agrifarm.Foto: Claus Haagensen
Among the guests there were many who have concrete plans to build barns for slaughter pigs. Among others Frank Johansen, pig farmer from Vendsyssel.
– We have submitted an environmental application and expect to build a barn for slaughter pigs. There are certainly exciting technological solutions in this barn with large paths and really good lighting with natural incidence from both the sides and above, says Frank Johansen.
The light was also noticed by Christian Christophersen, a student at North Jutland Agricultural School and a pig farmer in Nibe with 5,000 pigs for slaughter.
– These are nice big stables with lots of light. There’s good air and I think it’s relatively easy to keep clean too. And I think it’s smart that ammonia gets sucked under the slats and out. It gives a completely different air in the barn, says Christian Christophersen.
Agrifarm happy for the day
New barn from Agrifarm built at pig producer Henrik Mortensen in Farsø. Photo: Claus Haagensen
At Agrifarm, CEO Hans Jørgen Pedersen is very enthusiastic about today’s proceedings.
– It has been a pleasure to work with Henrik Mortensen on the project. He is a highly competent and visionary man, and the collaboration has helped make the barn a project we are very proud of,” says Hans Jørgen Pedersen.
Agrifarm has over the past 7 years made a number of projects in collaboration with Danish pig producers. A large slaughter pig house near Kalmar in Sweden is currently being built according to the Agrifarm house concept, and last year Swedish Anders Gunnarson put his Agrifarm house into operation, where he is producing a “climate smart pig” in cooperation with the slaughterhouse HK Scan, where the pigs have free access to an 8 ha grazing area.
– We would like to contribute to the development of Danish and foreign pig production that takes greater account of climate, nature, the environment, animal welfare and the working environment. That’s why we have chosen to join the World’s Best Food, says Hans Jørgen Pedersen.
Facts about the barn (provided by Agrifarm):
Production of 31,000 pigs for slaughter annually.
Large weight sorting paths, where 450-480 pigs can pass at each sorting weight. 2 sorting scales in each of the 8 sections.
The barn ventilation system is hybrid ventilation, which significantly reduces energy consumption for ventilation compared to mechanically ventilated barns. Hybrid ventilation is – Controlled natural ventilation combined with a mechanical floor exhaust, where 75% of the ammonia vapours and 64% of the odour gases are collected and discharged through a main duct to 4 ventilation outlets.
The floor extractor ventilates the first 10-20% of the maximum ventilation demand.
The barn is prepared for air cleaning. By installing Agrifarm’s own air cleaners, Agri AirClean, in the barn, significantly more pigs can be produced. Typically, with point suction and air cleaning, between 50% – 75% more pigs can be produced without increasing ammonia and odour load.
