The stable of the future doesn’t smell

What he has just told us assiduously at the kitchen table, larded with sketches on a variety of note sheets, is daily routine here. The pigs lie on a slightly convex concrete floor, which can be automatically cooled. The animals fatten on the side of the pen, on a special grid called the “pig toilet. Poo and urine are collected in bins, which are emptied every day. This is called daily fumigation, which prevents the formation of harmful ammonia. A mono-fermenter elsewhere on the plot converts the manure into energy, which is used again on the farm itself.

Back to July 7, 2017, for the Brabant livestock industry it is a maligned date. On that day, the province decided that stables in Brabant must meet the latest environmental requirements as early as 2022. Six years earlier than previously agreed, because, according to the provincial government, the reduction of harmful emissions is not going fast enough.

Innovative barn systems must make that sustainability drive possible, and they are working hard on that at De Hoeve in Valkenswaard. The province made 2.6 million euros available to Verhoeven’s ‘Stable of the Future’. Wageningen University, ministries, province, health council, water boards and other experts are looking and thinking along. The objective is to reduce ammonia emissions by 85 percent and odor by 70 percent.

The new barn concepts are being developed at four locations in Brabant for farrowing sows, dry and pregnant sows, weaned piglets and fattening pigs. The starting point is that the systems can soon be used in both new and existing houses.

That De Hoeve was in the province’s sights for a financial injection was not surprising. Verhoeven and his business partner Mark van den Einden were the founders of the Sustainable Pork Chain (KDV) back in 1997. All chain partners – pig farmers, wholesalers, butchers, meat product manufacturers, retailers, caterers and slaughterhouses – work according to set rules and are awarded a certificate, which is issued by De Hoeve. Three hundred companies have now joined.

Later, the farm developed more and more into a testing ground for sustainability and animal welfare. Verhoeven mentions the Ruwenberg conference in 2013, where citizens and farmers came together to discuss the future of agriculture. ,,I was surprised by the dissatisfaction. The misery in the countryside, I was shocked. That citizens feel that they are constantly in the stench, while farmers cry out; but that is exactly what I have invested in.”

Back home, he and his wife Diny decided they had to do something about it. By then, Verhoeven was already convinced that air scrubbers were not the solution. It does too little for odor, the nuisance for local residents remains. But on top of that, the pigs in the barn remain covered in ammonia.”

At the Maastrichterweg, efforts are being made to tackle the problem at source: devising barn systems that prevent ammonia from forming in the first place. But that is not all. For example, experiments are also being conducted with the number of weeks that piglets stay with the sow: piglets do better if that period is extended, it turns out. A new drinking water system is also being tested; with higher pressure that gives bacteria less chance.

Ultimately, all measures lead to healthier animals (“we run completely antibiotic-free”) AND higher income. “Earning more does not have to equate to an increase in scale. We are showing that here.”

Everything gained momentum in 2017 when the province decided to impose the strict environmental requirements as early as 2022. ,,We had a conversation with deputy Anne-Marie Spierings. Something had to happen, because still the air scrubber was the only technical option to reduce emissions.”

Now it is a race against the clock. Farmers complain that while the province is pushing forward deadlines, the innovative barn systems are still not there. De Hoeve’s concepts are as good as ready, but then a long road remains to official recognition. First, measurements must be taken over a long period of time to determine the emission factor. ,,Spring of next year should be the time,” thinks Verhoeven. ,,Then every pig farmer can start using it.”

However, the sector is not waiting for that moment. In Valkenswaard, consultants, companies and knowledge institutes are constantly coming over to see for themselves. From home and abroad. De Hoeve cannot patent the innovations, as agreed with the province. ,,We must and want to share our knowledge. We do that actively. That is why this kind of ‘open innovation’ also involves subsidies.”

Meanwhile, people are already thinking about the next research project. Because innovation never stops. The Hoeve is going to focus intensively on the docking of pigs’ tails. How can this be prevented? Verhoeven: ,,If the environment of the pig improves further, it might be possible to omit docking. That will be the challenge in the next project.” Source: ED