The Pig Edge

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Latest Episodes:

A Preview of the Teagasc Pig Open Day Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

The Teagasc Pig Open day is just around the corner, taking place in Teagasc Moorepark Fermoy, Co. Cork at 10am on Tuesday May 9th and in Ballyhaise Agricultural College, Ballyhaise Co. Cavan at 10am on Thursday May 11th.

The pig development department will be showcasing the results of the comprehensive research programme undertaken here in Teagasc, giving you the chance to interact with our researchers, advisors and postgraduate students.

With this being a brand new event, Ciarán Carroll, Head of Knowledge Transfer in the Teagasc Pig Development Department, joins Amy Quinn on the latest Pig Edge podcast to preview the event and explain what those attending can expect.

To register in advance for the event go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/national-events/events/pigopendaymoorepark.php

https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/national-events/events/pigopendayballyhaise.php

For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Key learnings from the Spanish pig industry Mar 30, 2023

Show notes

The Spanish pig sector has sparked a lot of interest here over the past number of years, for a lot of reasons.

It’s shown impressively fast growth to become the largest pork producer in Europe. It’s demonstrated remarkable resilience during the recent financial crisis, with only a slight reduction in herd size.

Plus there’s the scale of its vertically integrated systems, as well its continually strong pig prices.

As a result, representatives of the Teagasc pig stakeholder group recently travelled to Spain on a study trip to find out first-hand what we need to know about the industry.

Jason McGrath is a pig farmer from county Waterford who was on the trip and Amy Quinn spoke to him for the latest episode of the Pig Edge podcast to find out more.

For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The Environmental Sustainability of Pig Production Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

Ger McCutcheon, Specialist Pig Development Officer with Teagasc, joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest episode of the Pig Edge podcast to discuss the environmental sustainability of pig production and the value of pig slurry.

For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

How to avail of the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme and other energy cost-saving measures Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

With the current situation of energy costs on pig farms, Louise Clarke, Specialist Adviser at Teagasc Ballyhaise, joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest Pig Edge podcast to discuss the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) and other energy cost-saving measures.

Louise first explains the financial help available to pig farmers via TBESS and the criteria to be eligible for it.

Plus she also highlights how to best monitor and control energy costs on farm including possible cost-savings that can be introduced.

For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The Outlook for the Pig Sector for 2023 Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

2022 has been described as the toughest year in a generation for pig farmers but what does 2023 have in store?

Michael McKeon, Teagasc’s specialist pig development officer, joins Ciarán Carroll to look back on the year that was, discussing the main issues and difficulties, as well as highlighting the positive news on the horizon.

2023 will be brighter, says Michael, with a shortage of pig meat on the European market expected in the second quarter and the expectation of a good harvest to come will start to reduce feed ingredient prices.

For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

A Review of the 2022 Teagasc National Pig Farmers’ Conference Nov 30, 2022

Show notes

Teagasc Pig Advisor, Emer McCrum, joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest episode of the Pig Edge podcast to discuss some of the main topics and talking points from the 2022 Teagasc National Pig Farmers’ Conference.

Producers, farm staff and industry colleagues were welcomed back to an in-person event this year, the first since 2019 due to Covid 19 restrictions.

However, the conference was set against a very difficult backdrop for producers who by that point had endured 14 months of a crisis, the likes of which have been the worst in living memory.

The conference therefore, was built around the current climate with papers covering the technical to the financial all relating back to topical issues within the pig industry.

Emer and Ciarán discuss the key points of interest that can be taken from the conference for producers and staff.

All conference presentations can also be accessed at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/corporate-events/national-pig-conference/

For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Value Added Pig Meat & the Opportunities for Irish Pig Producers Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Ruth Hamill, Senior Research Officer at Teagasc Ashtown, joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest Pig Edge podcast to discuss Value Added Pig meat.

Traditionally Irish pig meat is seen as a commodity product, with little focus on value added.

However, if we look at our exports, while value added pig meat only accounts for 20% of total volume sold, it accounts for more than 40% of value of exports.

Ruth discusses the value of pig meat in our diets, what we can learn from research on other meats and the variety of value added pig meat products abroad, thus presenting opportunities for Irish pig meat in the future.

For more information:

https://www.teagasc.ie/food/research-and-innovation/research-areas/food-quality-and-sensory-science/meat-technology/

For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Tips & Advice for Staying Safe On-Farm Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

Teagasc Health & Safety Specialist, Francis Bligh, joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest Pig Edge podcast to discuss tips and advice for health and safety on-farm as well as improving indications for the latest trends.

Podcast Survey

In order to understand the aspects of podcasts which are most appealing and beneficial to you the listener, it would be appreciated if you could take 3-4 minutes to complete the following survey to give your feedback:

https://forms.office.com/r/mDZTE9zPy4

For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Energy-Saving Technologies on Pig Farms Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

Bioenergy specialist, Barry Caslin, joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest episode of the Pig Edge podcast to discuss energy-saving technologies that are available for use on pig farms.

Podcast Survey

https://forms.office.com/r/mDZTE9zPy4

For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The Pig Exceptional Payment Scheme 2 Explained Jun 24, 2022

Show notes

Damien Ward, Assistant Principal Meat Policy Division in the Department of Agriculture, joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest Pig Edge podcast to explain the €13 million Pig Exceptional Payment Scheme 2 (PEPS2) which was launched in June.

PEPS 2 is a one-off payment scheme for pig farmers administered by the Department of Agriculture.

The aim is to support farmers in the current financial crisis in order to contribute to food security and address market imbalances.

The scheme, a follow-on from the original PEPS scheme, is open to all commercial pig farms subject to them fulfilling certain eligibility and conditionality requirements.

Damien explains in more detail the eligibility criteria and how to apply and to find out more go to:

https://www.gov.ie/en/service/0067f-pig-exceptional-payment-scheme-2/

For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/

Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com