Meat processing enterprise PE “VK and K” was described on the pages of the previous issue of the magazine “Profitable pig production” (June, 2011). It is in top 20 of meat processing enterprises of Ukraine. This time we offer you to get acquainted with the sources of delicious taste of meat products of the enterprise. We are talking about farm enterprise “VK and K” that produces high quality pork using modern technologies and is constantly searching new ways to improve production.  

The excursion for us was conducted by Andriy Mykolayovych Kravchenko the deputy director of the pig farm. He is convinced that production tasks must be set up with orientation on date analysis. He says: “A real disaster for a lot of our colleagues is that they go on evaluating production with the help of categories “pretty-nice” while almost each parameter could be appraised and measured. An accurate system works on our farm it is “figure — analysis — decision — action”. How is such approach implemented in the life of the enterprise?

Boar Unit

Not so long ago stalls with boars were in the insemination unit. The animals were kept on the unheated concrete floor which was not helpful for their health and the effect from usage of trailer boars was neutralized. According to the principle “figure — analysis — decision” the boars were placed to the separate room within the same unit where floors in each stall were provided with partial heating. Taking into consideration physiological characteristics and the behavior of the animals only the heated part of the floor was lifted and concreted again: it is the know-how of the enterprise. As a result a stair appeared in each stall, but the animals easily cope with it as pigs treat floor lifting higher than10 centimetersas an obstacle (thought when the lifting is lower it can cause traumas). Thus the boars received the opportunity to choose a zone which is more suitable for them in a certain moment (cooler or warmer). The boar unit is provided with summer and winter ventilation mode. Only artificial insemination is used on the farm; for training and milking boars there was made a service pen for two places because some boars need to see a rival during collecting semen. Taking a shower is a necessary procedure for boars before semen collection.The dilution and evaluation of received semen is made in a specially equipped laboratory (Minitub,Germany).

“The market conditions make us to have our own breeding. There are more than 400 breeding farms inUkrainebut it is impossible to work with them, because we can hardly trust those date of production they give, — explains Andriy Kravchenko, — there is also a range of genetic companies which import high quality breeding animals. But, firstly, despite strict veterinary control there are no guaranties that during transportation throughEuropethey will not contact some infection. And secondly, the term “high quality genetics” can be treated only in close connection with the term “high quality breeding work” but knowledge, experience, ware, excess to database and simply a desire is needed for that”.

You can read about the excursion along other sections of the enterprise, feed mill and about the peculiarities of management of FE “VK and K” in the full version of the magazine "Profitable Pig Production", №3 (5), September 2011.