ENA/CENTA technical session

The problem is not production. It is decision making.

Outreach & Collaboration · April 2026

Prowess Bioscience recently delivered a technical session at the Escuela Nacional de Agricultura “Roberto Quiñónez” in El Salvador, in collaboration with CENTA and with the support of the Embassy of El Salvador in Norway. The presentation, titled “Efficient pig production: key principles for sustainable production systems,” explored how modern pig production can improve productivity, animal health and welfare, environmental sustainability and economic viability through better decision-making.

Pig production is a connected system

Production efficiency is often discussed mainly in terms of growth, feed conversion, reproductive performance or mortality. These indicators are important, but none of them operates independently. A productive system also depends on animal health, biosecurity, welfare, workforce management, data quality, environmental performance and economic sustainability.

Improving one area without considering its effects on the rest of the system can create unintended consequences. The real challenge is therefore not to maximise individual indicators, but to understand how the different components interact and how decisions in one area affect the overall system.

Efficient pig production depends on the integration of productivity, animal health and welfare, system management, environmental sustainability and economic viability.

Better data does not automatically mean better decisions

Pig farms generate increasing volumes of information, including data on feed consumption, growth, reproduction, mortality, health and production costs. However, having more data does not necessarily lead to better outcomes. Data must be collected consistently, based on clear definitions and interpreted within the correct production context. A performance indicator has limited value when viewed in isolation. It becomes useful when it is compared across time, production groups, farms or relevant industry benchmarks.

The most important step is translating information into practical action. This may involve identifying emerging health problems, understanding the causes of production variability, evaluating whether management changes are working or determining where resources are most likely to generate a meaningful return.

Better decisions depend on data that are standardised, accurate, consistent and collected systematically.

Productivity, welfare and sustainability are not competing objectives

One of the central messages of the session was that productivity, animal welfare and environmental sustainability should not be treated as separate goals. Healthier animals generally use nutrients more efficiently. Lower mortality reduces wasted resources. Better welfare can improve growth, reduce variability and support more stable production. Improved feed efficiency can benefit both profitability and environmental performance. Sustainability is therefore not an isolated activity added to the production system. It is often the result of managing the system more efficiently.

Small improvements can create substantial value

The economic performance of a pig production system rarely depends on a single dramatic change. Instead, profitability is usually built through multiple smaller improvements, such as reducing mortality, improving feed conversion, shortening the time required to reach market weight, increasing reproductive efficiency or producing more uniform groups of animals.

Individually, these improvements may appear modest. At farm level, however, their cumulative impact can be significant. The value is realised when nutrition, genetics, health, welfare, management and data are aligned around the same production objectives.

Sustainability is not a separate objective; it is often the result of producing more efficiently and using resources more effectively.

Strengthening knowledge for the future

Technical sessions such as this also play an important role in bringing current scientific and industry knowledge closer to students and field professionals. Developing a stronger pig sector requires more than access to technology. It also requires people who can understand production systems, critically interpret information and apply that knowledge under real farm conditions.

Supporting this connection between science, education and practical production is essential for building more competitive and sustainable livestock systems. At Prowess Bioscience, this is where we focus: transforming complex data into actionable insights.

Turning complex data into actionable insights

We provide independent, evidence-based analysis and advisory services across livestock species and production systems
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