The impact of alternative feeding strategies on total factor productivity growth of pig farming: Empirical evidence from EU countries

Abstract

Aim of study: To investigate the impact of adopting new feeding precision technology on pig production.Area of study: Four EU countries (Germany, France, Poland and Spain) during the period 2010–2015.Material and methods: The Färe-Primont index was used to estimate total factor productivity change and its components, technological change and efficiency change.Main results: German, French and Spanish farms experienced total factor productivity (TFP) progress, while Polish farms did not for both feeding strategies. Our empirical findings suggest a high impact on the productivity of ad libitum feeding technique compared to the restricted one for all countries.Research highlights: Precision feeding strategies provide another avenue to more sustainable livestock production and further evidence that implementing individual ad libitum feeding systems for pigs could enhance farm’s productivity.