Currently, in Ontario about 20% of market pigs (~1 million/year) are raised on computer-controlled liquid feeding systems. Given the benefits of liquid feeding, the number of pigs raised on liquid feeding systems in Ontario is expected to increase rapidly over the next few years. Moreover, the use of liquid co-products from the food industry will increase and liquid feeding will likely include feed fermentation technology. Recent studies suggest that liquid feeding, and especially feeding of fermented feeds, can enhance gut health in pigs, reduce the reliance on in-feed medication in commercial pork production and reduce the contamination of pork products with salmonella spp. This will directly benefit pork safety. In Ontario a wide range of by-products from the food industry is currently used, or considered for use, in liquid feeding of swine. These liquid swine feed ingredients have not been evaluated for contents of pathogens and harmful chemicals and represent a food safety risk.

The Swine Liquid Feeding Association has been working with Dr. Kees de Lange and other researchers at the University of Guelph, to build a new state-of-the-art public research unit at the University of Guelph's Arkell Swine Research Station. The unit, which is unique in North America, is now complete and will help to further develop liquid feeding technology in Ontario. Click here for pictures and a description of the facility. With this world-class facility and a practical set of research proposals, we will be able to address some of the fundamental questions surrounding the value of liquid feeding.

Research objectives include:

1. Establishing a database of co-products from the food industry that are currently used - or that may be used in the future - in liquid feeding systems for swine, including nutritive value and contents of key pathogens and chemical residues. This database will be used to develop a blueprint for routine evaluation of liquid swine feed ingredients.
2. Explore and assess beneficial effects of liquid feeding technology on various aspects of pork production (gut health, carcass and pork quality, nutrient excretion, animal well-being, production efficiencies) that may be transferred to dry feeding systems.
3. Explore controlled fermentation of selected pig feed ingredients as a means to enhance the nutritive value of these ingredients, and to improve gut health, gut development and animal productivity.
4. Further support development of liquid feeding technology for pork production in Canada.

The resulting information will allow for a more accurate and objective assessment of positive and negative impacts of liquid feeding of swine on safety of pork products and pork production efficiency under Ontario and Canadian conditions. Moreover, strategies to enhance competitiveness of the Ontario Pork industry and safety of Ontario Pork products will be identified.

Research results are shared with sponsors and members of the Swine Liquid Feeding Association through regular meetings with sponsors, regular issues of the association newsletter and at ongoing producer and industry meetings.

Click here to review a paper presented at the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada's Eastern Nutrition Conference, May 11-12, 2004 by Kristina Braun and Kees de Lange - Liquid Swine Feed Ingredients: Nutritional Quality and Contaminants. (164 kb file)

Click here to review a presentation at the SLFA Annual Meeting, March 8, 2005 by Jay Squire – Swine Liquid Feeding Research Update. (433 kb file)

Click here to review a paper presented at the 2006 Western Nutrition Conference, by Dr. Kees de Lange - Swine Liquid Feeding: Nutritional Considerations. (225 kb file)

This research program would not be possible without the generous financial support of the following sponsors:

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Ontario Pork
OMAF Food Safety Research Program
OMAF and University of Guelph Research Partnership Program
Big Dutchman
Daco Laboratories Ltd.
Grand Valley Fortifiers
Furst-McNess Company of Canada Ltd.
BSC Animal Nutrition Inc.
Great Lakes Nutrition
Chris Hansen Laboratories
Kenpal Farm Products Inc.
Farmix / Ridley Inc.