Climate mitigation measures in Danish pig production
The goal is ambitious: 50% reduction in CO2e emissions from Danish pig production by 2030.
Danish pigs currently account for 14% of the total CO2 emissions from the agricultural sector. There is a need, therefore, for new technologies to be deployed in pig barns.
In this series on climate mitigation measures, we take a closer look at current initiatives, research and technologies within Danish pig production, aimed at achieving the set targets for reducing climate impact.
In this edition, we examine the wire-type barn cleaner.
Wire-type barn cleaner system to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases
This is the first article in a series on climate mitigation measures in pig production. This article examines the wire-type barn cleaner, but first, here are some facts on the aims of the climate mitigation measures.
Danish pigs’ CO2e footprint is low but needs to be even lower. The pig sector in Denmark has set itself the goal of reducing its CO2e emissions even further. This will be achieved by introducing requirements for the wire-type barn cleaner system or the frequent removal of manure in new housing units and increasing the amount of manure sent for biogas production.
Wire-type cleaner system
The wire-type cleaner system is a piece of technology that is becoming widely used in service and gestation units and is particularly well suited for handling the large quantities of straw that these units often use. And due to the significant environmental benefits of removing manure from the units on a daily basis, the technology can also function as a manure management system in finisher units. There are a number of benefits to this. The wire-type cleaner means that methane emissions from manure are largely eliminated if the slurry is scraped out on a daily basis, or once or twice per week. This will therefore contribute to a substantial reduction in a farm’s greenhouse gas impact, which is likely to become an important parameter in future livestock production.
Odour reduction and manure cooling as additional benefits
The wire-type barn cleaner is also expected to provide effective odour reduction from housing units, which in preliminary studies from SEGES has been measured at approximately 40%. This has significant economic value as new finisher units in Denmark often require odour reduction. Manure cooling is also possible with this technology, and has a greater impact on ammonia when cooling is carried out in barns fitted with the wire-type cleaner system compared to units fitted with a vacuum system.
In this video a pig producer explains about this wire-type barn cleaner system:
