Meat&Poultry - September 2012 - 35

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GESTATION CRATES

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at the same time. It differs from ESF in that sows can eat at the same time, keeping them interested in their own feed and not that of other sows. Free access stalls provide the refuge of an individual stall with the social interaction of group pens.

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The cost of change
Another unintended consequence is the cost of conversion. A Univ. of Minnesota study estimated the total cost of conversion to be between $1.87 billion and $3.24 billion. A producer who has already converted some facilities to group housing noted that the cost of the conversion was between $200 and $300 per sow. Grandin, for one, believes the cost estimate may be too high: “Estimates of the cost of converting are grossly inflated. Group gestation housing will take 20 percent more space, but the lbs. of fabricated steel required will be half to two-thirds less than gestation stall housing. If construction of group housing is phased in as the current equipment wears out, that will reduce the cost of conversion.” Costs need to be kept reasonable for the consumer, she emphasizes. “Hotel maids need to be able to afford to buy pork at the grocery store.”

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Human capital
In addition to the capital cost is the human capital required in the form of labor, training and management. “Idiots can manage crates,” Grandin says. “Group pens require better stockmen with more training.” Another important component, Vogel notes, is that “management can make any well-designed housing system thrive or fail.” The change can be positive for handlers, too. One producer reports this observation: “After the conversion, our employees responded well to group sow housing; they feel better about what’s going on with the sows.” This is no longer a debate about the viability of gestation crates in hog production, but rather a discussion about how producers will respond to meet expectations consumers have about how their food is produced. It’s time to engage the challenge and “get it done right.” ■
A 30-year veteran of processing-plant operations, Jerry Karczewski is a contributing editor based in Sodus Point, NY. He also is the owner of Karczewski Consulting (www.diversecattle.com), which provides humane handling and plant operations consulting services. We would like to hear from you – to comment on this story or to request reprints, contact us by e-mail at meatpoultry@sosland.com.

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Hitachi America Ltd. / Marking / Coding Group www.hitachi-america.us/CIJMeatPoultry inkjetprinters@hal.hitachi.com September 2012 • Meat&Poultry • www.MeatPoultry.com • Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.

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Meat&Poultry - September 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat&Poultry - September 2012
