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Tail biting is one of the most pressing welfare problems in modern pig production and damage due to tail biting has a considerable financial impact. Its highly multi-factorial nature makes this behaviour hard to target: a multitude of different stressors can increase the risk of tail biting at the level of the farm, batch, pen, or individual pig. Because of this, remediating strategies need to target the specific stressor that caused the behaviour: there is no ‘silver bullet’ that will reliably eliminate tail biting under all circumstances.

This publication highlights some of our key scientific achievements over the previous 10 years and demonstrates how they have impacted positively on the agri-food industry at home and further afield.

Assessment of Outer Ards Modiolusmodiolus biogenic reefs against SpecialArea of Conservation (SAC) criteria 

The Environment and Renewable Energy Centre (EREC) based at AFBI Hillsborough assists the agri-food industry to maximise the potential of renewable energy and support technology transfer activities.

Mushroom research at AFBI Loughgall is directed towards strengthening competitiveness and promoting the sustainability of the local industry.

Scientific projects : Protection of soil quality projects

Research conducted at AFBI is undertaken in support of fish and shellfish stock assessments under the Marine Ecosystems Management programme.

Assessing the Impact of EU Biofuel SupportPolicies: April 2015 (Funded by FAPRI 2015) 

Efficient pig production involves maintaining good growth rates throughout the pig’s lifetime. However, it is well known that a ‘growth check’ normally occurs at weaning and this can increase the time taken to reach a target live weight at slaughter.