Browse this section

Pig Projects

Research partnership with AFBI, John Thompson & Sons Ltd & DARD

Devenish Nutrition has been part of a research partnership with the Agri Food & BioSciences Institute, John Thompson & Sons Ltd and the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development for 15 years.

Areas of research covered:

  • Evaluation of rapeseed in diets for finishing pigs.
  • Comparison of meal Vs pellets for finishing pigs.
  • Feeding levels of starter diets, effect on performance.
  • Reducing variability in slaughter pigs.
  • Cereals Vs co-products in diets for finishing pigs.
  • Crude protein and lysine levels in finishing pig diets.
  • Application and source of oil in diets for finishing pigs.
  • Identification of the causes of variability in pigs.
  • Lysine and energy requirements of growing pigs.
  • Phosphorus requirement of growing and finishing pigs.
  • Evaluation of different forms of phytase.
  • Omega 3 enrichment of pig meal.

Research partnerships with Queen's University, Belfast

A three year programme entitled "Development of Nutritional Products to ameliorate the effects of disease in pigs" in partnership with Queen's University Belfast and the Agri Food & BioSciences Institute is in its first year. This project has been co-funded by Invest NI.

Devenish were one of 16 partners in the Sixth Framework Programme : Control of Porcine Circovirus Diseases (PCVDs) : Towards improved Food Quality & Safety. Through this research Devenish developed a nutritional product which ameliorated the effect of PCVD.

In a three year programme with Queen's University Belfast, a test was developed to measure the quality of protein. In addition the DevAmine range of products were created and validated. This work was sponsored by the Knowledge Transfer Partnership.

Research Partnership with Moorepark

  • Evaluation of DeviGuard.
  • Response curve to raw material.

Research Partnership with Harper Adams

  • Series of trials on different starter diets and feeding regimes .

Research Partnership with Newcastle University

  • Behavioural & performance evaluation of MealoMix.

Starter Diets

Starter diets are a primary focus of research within Devenish pig research. Therefore we invested in a research facility for weaned pigs in 1999.

We carry out eleven trials a year covering areas such as:-

  • Evaluation of raw materials
  • Evaluation of products
  • Evaluation of different feeding regimes