The present trial verified the effects of spraying microbial agents on odor reduction in commercial pig farms of different operating sizes and barn types. Farms without microbial agent spraying and those sprayed with microbial agents at two different intervals were compared. The treatments included spraying of water alone every day or a mixture of water plus microbial agent at 24 and 72 h intervals. The experimental farms were divided according to size into 1,000-, 3,000-, and 5,000-head farms and according to barn type into gestation, farrowing, nursery, and grower-finisher farms. To compare odor concentration within each housing barn, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide gas levels were measured. The average concentrations of ammonia (p<0.01) and hydrogen sulfide (p<0.05) gas were the lowest in all types of farms sprayed with the microbial agent at a 24 h interval. In farms sprayed with the microbial agent at a 24 h interval, the decrease in ammonia concentration according to barn type was in the following order: farrowing (p<0.01) (11.0 to 1.8 ppm), nursery (p<0.05) (17.0 to 9.2 ppm), grower-finisher (15.3 to 8.8 ppm), and gestation (9.7 to 6.4 ppm) farms. Moreover, spraying the microbial agent at a 24 h interval significantly (p<0.01) decreased ammonia concentration from 19.9 to 10.4 ppm, from 11.1 to 4.1 ppm, and from 8.8 to 5.1 ppm in 5,000-, 3,000-, and 1,000-head farms, respectively. Overall, spraying microbial agents every day may be the most effective method to reduce odor in commercial pig farms.

This study examined the spatial autocorrelation of the 2016 foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in South Chungcheong to determine the association between the disease epidemics and pig farm vehicle movements. Two spatial autocorrelation testing methods were used: Moran’s I and Getis-Ord G statistics. The Moran’s I statistic for the FMD outbreak areas was -0.239, and its p-value was less than 0.007. The median Getis-Ord G statistic for the FMD outbreak areas was -0.323. The results indicated that the geographical distribution of the FMD outbreak areas was not spatially homogeneous. The spatial autocorrelation of the 2016 FMD epidemics was considered by applying a geographical weighted Poisson regression (GWPR) model in the analysis, in which pig farm vehicle movements were used as risk factors for the 2016 FMD epidemics. The number of FMD-infected farms per second-level administrative province (si or gun) was used as a dependent variable. The number of farm vehicle movements within the province (within variable), from one province to other provinces (outbound variable), or from other provinces to one province (inbound variable), were included as independent variables in the GWPR model. The results of the GWPR model were as follows. The estimated median coefficient of the log-transformed within variable, the log-transformed outbound variable, and log-transformed inbound variable were -0.000, 0.010, and -0.009, respectively. The optimal bandwidth for the GWPR model was 80.49, and the AIC score was 89.35. The results showed that the GWPR model would provide an understanding of the relationship between the 2016 FMD epidemics and pig farm vehicle movements

The annoyance potential for odor sources can be evaluated by separation distances. A separation distance between a standard pig farm and a residential area was investigated by the AERMOD model. The studied area comprised four sites in Korea. The study sites were Paju, Yangpyeong, Suwon, and Icheon, respectively. The separation distances criteria of the three reference Odor Impact Criteria (OIC) were used to evaluate the separation distance. Results show that separation distances for the four sites were calculated 20 m from the fence in the existing pig farm criteria case [exceedance probability P (%) = 2.0% and concentration = 6 OU] in Ireland. In the case of the new pig farm criteria [(exceedance probability P (%) = 2.0% and concentration = 3 OU) of Ireland, results show that the separation distances of the four locations were between 120 m and 145 m from the fence. These values were about 3.0~4.5 times larger than those of the existing pig farm criteria case. In the case of a concentration of 1 OU and the exceedance probability P (%) of a 2.0% criteria, the separation distances of the four sites ranged from 250 m to 290 m.

The objective of this study was to comparatively analyze the vocalizations of farrowing sows and their piglets in a welfare certified farm and a conventional farm as they are useful parameters for animal welfare assessment. The conventional farm using the gestation stall, farrowing crate and nursery, grower‐finisher pigs were accommodated in small pens. On the other hand, in the welfare certified farm using the group feeding gestation sows, which allows them to turn around in the furrowing pens, unlike in the crates and nursery, grower‐finisher pigs were accommodated in large pens. Vocalization of farrowing sows and their piglets were recoded and acoustic parameters were analyzed. Eight vocalizations―screaming, fighting, playing, suckling competition, suckling, piglet call, frightened, and space competition―were recoded in the farrowing crate and classified; 4 ordinary and 4 non‐ordinary vocalizations were identified. However, frightened and space competition vocalizations were not detected in the farrowing pen. Screaming, fighting, playing, suckling competition, and suckling vocalizations were significantly (p<0.01) different in pitch, intensity and duration between the farrowing pen and the farrowing crate. Piglet call vocalization did not differ between the farrowing facilities. These findings will aid us in using the differences in vocalizations, under different conditions, as parameters of animal welfare assessment.

본 연구는 친환경안전축산물 생산에 기반이 되는 돼지농장의 HACCP 평가항목별 점수부 여 체계의 문제점에 대한 개선방안 도출하여 보다 안전하고 위생적인 돼지 생산에 기초자 료로 활용을 제안하기 위한 목적으로 실시하였다. 현행 돼지농장 HACCP 평가항목은 중요 도의 구분 없이 동일한 점수(5점)를 부여하고 있으나 본 연구에서는 최근 3년간 지적비율, 위해의 심각도 등을 고려하여 평가항목별로 중요도를 도출하였고 그 결과에 따라 평가항 목의 점수를 차등 부여하도록 하였다. 돼지농장의 선행요건 평가항목(70개)은 중요도에 따 라 최대 4점에서 최소 2점의 점수체계를 구축하여 총 점수가 200점이 되도록 하였으며, HACCP 관리 분야 평가항목(15개)은 최대 10점에서 최소 5점 체계를 구축하여 총 점수가 100점이 되도록 개발하였다. 본 연구결과를 현장에 적용할 경우 보다 안전하고 위생적인 돼지의 생산이 가능하여 돼지농장 HACCP 도입의 목적을 보다 효과적으로 달성할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.