Interview with pig farmer

In the December issue of Varkensbedrijf, there is a report with one of our clients in the pig farming industry. If this has evoked your interest, please contact us for more information or schedule a non-binding appointment.

"To continue achieving top results, Herrald Klaassen continuously seeks improvements. When he saw the condition of the inside of his drinking water system, he became aware of the importance of healthy drinking water. After trying various strategies, he invested in technology proven in industry and healthcare. He accepted the significant investment because improved water quality always pays off."

Simplicity dominates at Herrald and Hennie Klaassen's farm. No complicated feed strategies with various types of feed; only lacto and gestation feed are provided to the sows. They don't bother with gruels or powders either; newborn piglets in the farrowing pen are given buttermilk in a bowl to support the sow. "Buttermilk is acidic but tasty and also cheaper than other feed items," says Herrald, as he walks through the farrowing pens with his wife Hennie.

In 2011, the farm underwent an expansion to its current size of 1,350 sows. The Klaassen family paid close attention to costs during this expansion. "Our older farrowing pens have heating, but it's never turned on. That's why we didn't install heating. Fresh air is now brought to the sow with a pipe, which works very well. Our philosophy is to achieve good technical results with simple management."

Water Pipeline

Keeping the Klaassen family's philosophy in mind, it's remarkable that they purchased an installation in 2015 to continuously clean the drinking water. The system from the company Watter costs over 22,000 euros. Herrald recalls the renovation period in 2011 to explain why he deemed this investment necessary. "Since 2011, we've been rearing our weaners in locations in Germany. This allowed us to grow to 1,350 sows within the existing building block. During the construction and renovation period, the water pipeline had to be rerouted and adjusted regularly. I noticed that the cut pipes were seriously burdened with biofilm, while I was convinced that our own spring water system with double iron removal provided good quality water."

Klaassen now knows that the distribution channel with various pipes in warm conditions has a much greater impact on biofilm formation than the quality of the spring water. Generally, it is assumed that spring or tap water is always good. IKB certifications also take this into account in their evaluations. However, a measurement at the source mainly indicates the chemical composition of the water, referring, for example, to the amount of iron and manganese. Measurement at the source says nothing about the microbiological contamination that occurs in the drinking water circuit.

This contamination develops due to various circumstances, with the climate in the barn being a significant factor. The type of piping material used also matters. "Our piping network consists of hard PVC and polyethylene, with polyethylene being particularly susceptible to biofilm buildup. That's why after the renovation, I decided to seriously address the drinking water issue because I saw it was being neglected on the farm," explains Klaassen.

Cleaning Agents

In the following years, Klaassen tried various strategies to clean the circuit. Although some worked better than others, they all faced challenges with distribution and planning. "It's easy to plan on paper to clean the pipes regularly, but in practice, it's quite a challenge. We aim for high occupancy, so a section is never empty. After weaning on Thursday, we immediately clean the section. Then on Friday, the next farrowing group comes in. If you skip cleaning the system for a week, biofilm has formed again. But that's a real risk if the schedule gets disrupted," he explains. The products available that can be safely used in an occupied barn don't meet Klaassen's expectations. "Those products don't have the cleansing effect. For example, if I had to replace a nipple, I would see slime on the filter. That confirms to me that there is biofilm in the system."

In his search for alternatives, Herrald turned to the Watter. Watter has designed a machine that produces a disinfectant on-site from water, salt and electricity. Watter is an EU-patented technique, approved by TNO as a preventive measure against bacteria, fungi, yeasts and viruses. In addition to industrial use, such as preventing legionella in cooling towers and applications in healthcare (combating MRSA bacteria in hospitals), Watter has now found applications in livestock farming, with poultry, dairy, and pig farming leading the way.

The installation consists of a unit placed near the source pump on the incoming drinking water pipeline. With only the input of salt tablets, a chemical process occurs in the unit that continuously mixes a low concentration of an oxidizing disinfectant into the pipes. The property of an oxidant is that it breaks down protein structures (biofilm is built from proteins). After breaking down the biofilm, it dissolves, and new biofilm formation is prevented. Biofilm can rebuild itself within two weeks.

Costs/benefit

However, Klaassen didn't rush into the decision to invest in the installation. Despite the water consumption associated with his farm size, one unit with a disinfection capacity of at least 1,000 liters per day was sufficient. "Beforehand, we took samples from the circuit, and I took advantage of the opportunity to test the installation for the first five months for a fee of 500 euros per month." The unit was installed in early April 2015. To start, only a few settings were required. Initially, a concentration of 2 percent was used to loosen the biofilm, but after a week, the dosage could be reduced to 1.5 percent. Klaassen still maintains this concentration.

After six months, new samples were taken, and it was found that the bacterial count had significantly decreased, with no bacteria detected. Seeing the improved condition of the animals, Klaassen was convinced. He decided to keep the installation, as did 90 percent of users in pig farming who initially conducted a trial period. Klaassen entered into a lease agreement with Watter for 400 euros per month (excluding usage costs). An additional benefit was derived from the MIA (27 percent) and Vamil (75 percent) tax incentives, which are allowed in combination with financial lease. This fiscal provision also applied to the installation in 2016 and 2017.

The unit requires little labor, says Klaassen. "I don't really have to do anything myself. I just have to refill the salt vat once a week, but other than that, I have no issues." Maintenance and service are carried out by Watter and cost Klaassen 700 euros per year. In addition, there are costs for the salt. Klaassen estimates that the annual costs for usage and maintenance are around 1,500 euros. "In return, I'm assured of good drinking water without the costs and labor of cleaning agents." Watter itself states that the total cost per cubic meter of clean drinking water is approximately 18 cents. This includes depreciation, service, salt, electricity, and water.

Klaassen admits it's difficult to measure the effectiveness of clean drinking water at the animal level. "The choice was partly made on my intuition, but I do see that the sows in the farrowing pens consume more water. This is also the animal group where I'm certain that higher water intake leads to better results." He has made improvements with the finishing pigs. Previously, Klaassen delivered the fattening pigs to Germany under salmonella class III; since the installation, he has delivered under class I.

"In the fattening pig barn, I worked with a fairly aggressive acid for a while, so initially, I thought that was successful. But now I've stopped using the acid, and the salmonella status hasn't changed." To completely eliminate the risk of salmonella, Klaassen would also need to install units at his weaner barn and fattening pig barn in Germany. "However, those are two locations, and I would need multiple units per location due to the distance between the barns. And installing multiple units is still too expensive for me at the moment. But if it could be done at an acceptable price, I would definitely consider it."