PhD in Veterinary Sciences for Animal Health and Food Safety

Contacts

Supervisor

Annalisa Scollo

Curriculum vitae

Curriculum Vitae

Phd thesis

Introduction. Pig farming provides essential animal protein to human population and income for many agricultural businesses worldwide. Since it contributes both positively and negatively to some of the 17 sustainable development goals established by the United Nations¹, a sustainable transformation is inevitable towards a "next-generation" farm. The next-generation farmis built with the most modern technologies to reduce its impact on the environment: hi-tech insulation, air filtration, management and business intelligence softwares, sensors, innovative wastewater management, photovoltaic and more. However, to improve sustainability in livestock, a holistic approach is needed, involving three main pillars: environmental, economic and social².
The environmental sustainability in livestock is receiving increasing attention, and the pig sector is responsible of 9% of the global livestock emissions; the global challenge is to turn massive waste into a resource in a circular economy perspective³. However, economic investments for the development of more modern practices and facilities are needed to reach this goal⁴. For this reason, the analysis of a next-generation farm business economics is essential. In this scenario, pigs' health is unavoidable, as infectious and productive issues always lead to a reduced farm sustainability. An example are the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSv) and African swine fever because of their massive economic impact worldwide5-6 and the social impact of outbreaks on human population^7-8-9.
A truly sustainable pig production must consider all three dimensions of sustainable development as their single aspects may conflict or reinforce each other^2-8. The lack of studies, especially in the pig sector, discussing simultaneously all three dimensions and their possible interrelations may be a huge loss of significative information².

Aims. The general aim of the study is to provide guidelines to lead the sector towards a more sustainable future. Main conditions and obstacles to health, productivity and development of pig production need to be identified, providing transversal insights about the three sustainability pillars interrelationships. The overall goal is to assess the extent to which a next-generation swine farm, a farming system designed with the most innovative sustainable facilities, is more sustainable compared to a conventional facility.

- The first specific aim is to compare two different pig farming systems: the conventional and the next-generation one.
- A second aim is to investigate best practices to improve sustainability and estimate their impact on a larger sample of pig farms, by means of new methods to reduce and valorize industrial waste, improving health and welfare.

Materials and methods. The study comprises 2 phases, the first one (1,5 years) aims to compare the sustainability pillars in the conventional farm and the next-generation one.
- Economic pillar. Data, including 162 economical and 57 productive items^a, from a 1-year retrospective observation on 34 batches of productive sows (4651 in total) were collected from both farms, experiencing a PRRSv outbreak. Economical items were entered and then modeled using a business intelligence software (Microsoft Power BI, with the technical support of a private company); Statistical Process Control was adopted for both types of items to describe PRRSv impact over time. Environmental items will be used for the Life Cycle Assessment^b.
- Environmental pillar. Four weekly measurements of CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, NH₃ and particulates will be performed per each season at both farms using an infrared photoacoustic multi-gas analyzer^c. Contextually, environmental antibiotic-resistant microorganisms^d will be assessed using the Surface Air System. Data will be analyzed by Mixed models (Xlstat).

In the second part of the study (1 year), the most representative environmental key indicators will be selected from phase 1 and assessed in 15 innovative farms (described throughout a detailed checklist on farm practices and facilities) to identify best practices for a more sustainable pig production with the same tools from phase one.

- Social pillar. Eventual environmental differences between the 2 farms from phase 1 will be illustrated to a sample of consumers by focus group and a sample of pig practitioners (during the 2025 SIPAS annual meeting). Social impact will be then explored using sociological surveys techniques, defined with the Psychology Department.

Expected results. Attended results are related to an integrated and global approach of pig sector sustainability deriving from a simultaneous investigation of all three pillars results. The various aspects of sustainability must therefore be compared with each other to maximize overall sustainability at the level of the farm, or even in a broader social context.
In the first part of the study a comparison between conventional vs. next-generation pig farming systems will be performed. The research hypothesis is that a farm with lower environmental impact might be also economically and socially viable due to improved performances and social acceptance. In the second part of the study, best practices to improve sustainability will be investigated. The research hypothesis is that new best practices can provide economical support to farmers moving towards the next-generation farm through recoverable investments, and a more comprehensive acceptance by citizens (e.g., trade workers, consumers, farm neighbors).

^a Drugs expenses, electricity and water costs are examples of economical items, and fertility rate, farrowing rate and piglet mortality rate per batch are examples of productive items.
^b Life cycle assessment is a cradle-to-grave analysis that evaluates all the resources used (e.g., energy, feed) and outputs (e.g., greenhouse emissions) for the identification of key environmental parameters and the comparison between systems, processes, or products with similar functions, providing reliable and useful information in the decision-making process, thus increasing opportunities for improvement.
^c Instruments gently granted by DISAFA.
^d For example, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and extended spectrum ß-lactamase Escherichia coli.

Bibliography

1. https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/sustainable/sustainable-development-goals.html 
2. Gunnarsson, S., Arvidsson Segerkvist, K., Wallgren, T., Hansson, H., & Sonesson, U. (2020). A systematic mapping of research on sustainability dimensions at farm-level in pig production. Sustainability, 12(11), 4352.
3. Gerber, P.J.; Steinfeld, H.; Henderson, B.; Mottet, A.; Opio, C.; Dijkman, J.; Falcucci, A.; Tempio, G. Tackling Climate Change through Livestock: A Global Assessment of Emissions and Mitigation Opportunities; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Rome, Italy, 2013.
4. Malak-Rawlikowska A., Gebska M., Hoste R., leeb C., Montanari C., Wsallace M., de Roest K. (2021). Developing a methodology for aggregated assessment of the economic sustainability of pig farms. Energies, 14(6), 1760.
5. Nathues, H., Alarcon, P., Rushton, J., Jolie, R., Fiebig, K., Jimenez, M., ... & Nathues, C. Cost of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus at individual farm level􀍴An economic disease model. Preventive veterinary medicine, 142, 16-29.
6. Nathues, H., Alarcon, P., Rushton, J., Jolie, R., Fiebig, K., Jimenez, M., ... & Nathues, C. (2018). Modelling the economic efficiency of using different strategies to control Porcine Reproductive & Respiratory Syndrome at herd level. Preventive veterinary medicine, 152, 89-102.
7. von Keyserlingk MAG, Hendricks J, Ventura B and Weary DM (2024). Swine industry perspectives on the future of pig farming. Animal Welfare, 33, e7, 1􀍴9.
8. Schültz A, Busch G, Sonntag WI (2023). Systematically analyzing the acceptability of pig farming systems with different animal welfare levels when considering intra-sustainability tradeoffs: Are citizens willing to compromise? PLoS ONE 18(3).
9. Boogaard B.K., Boekhorst L.J.S., Oosting S.J., Sørensen J.T. (2011). Socio-cultural sustainability of pig production: citizen perceptions in the Netherlands and Denmark. Livestock Science 140 (2011), 189-200.

Research activities

Publications

      Scollo A., Perrucci A., Stella M.C., Ferrari P., Robino P., Nebbia P. "Biosecurity and Hygiene Procedures in Pig Farms: Effects of a Tailor-Made Approach as Monitored by Environmental Samples." Animals (Basel) 13.7 (2023): 1262. Web.

 

Abstract and oral presentation

(Presenter*)

      Scollo A.*, Perrucci A. "Disinfection as a biosecurity tool in pig farming and transportation”. ECM course Bisecuirty and prevention: all puzzle pieces, 4^th October 2024, Istituto Zooprofilattico della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna, Brescia, Italy

      Perrucci A.*, Scollo A. "Optimal cleaning and disinfection procedures for pig trucks”. ECM course Bisecuirty and prevention: all puzzle pieces, 4^th October 2024, Istituto Zooprofilattico della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna, Brescia, Italy

       Bellato A., Rusinà A., Mannelli A., Perrucci A., Scollo, A. Tomassone L. “Modelling swine Influenza type A (SwIA) infection dynamics to assess the risk in pig-farm workers”. In-FACT meeting, 11^th-12^th September 2024, Pavia, Ialy – Accepted

       Scollo A., Riccardo B., Perrucci A. “Oral vaccination against Lawsonia intracellularis improves the quality of pork meat as assessed by RGB color model”. 27th International Pig Veterinary Society Congress and 15th European Symposium of Porcine Health Management, 4-7 June 2024, Leipzig, Germany – Accepted

      Perrucci A.*, Stella M.C., Robino P., Nebbia P., Scollo A. “Prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in pig barns after cleaning and disinfection procedures”. 27th International Pig Veterinary Society Congress and 15th European Symposium of Porcine Health Management, 4-7 June 2024, Leipzig, Germany – Accepted as poster and flash oral presentation

      Perrucci A.*, Scollo A. “Disinfection as a biosecurity tool in pig farms: a study of environmental pathogen bacteria and their antibiotic-resistance”. XLVIII SIPAS meeting SIPAS, 30-31 March 2023, Villa Quaranta, Pescantina (Ve), Italy – Accepted as oral presentation        

      Scollo A., Perrucci A.* “Negative effect of environmental ammonia on swine production performance. Reduction of ammonia emission in pig farms: animal welfare, manure valorization e production sustainability”. Fiera di Montichiari (Bs), 25^th January 2024, Commissione Filiere sostenibili e sicurezza agroalimentare dell'Ordine dei Dottori Agronomi e Forestali di Brescia, Italy – Invited speaker

Awards 

Prize Dr. Pierfilippo Guadagnini, April 2023, Società Italiana di Patologia e Allevamenti Suino (SIPAS), Reggio Emilia (RE), Italy

Professional trainings

• 28^th-29^th March 2024 Respiratory Health Seminar, University of Veterinary Medicine of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
• January 2024 online training "Climate change adaptation in the livestock sector", organized by Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations

Association

Member of the Global youth network on sustainable livestock transformation of the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the Uniated Nations