A dynamic amewo k o calcula ing he biomass o a ening pigs wi h an
applica ion in es ima ing he bu den o po cine ep oduc i e and
espi a o y synd ome in he Ne he lands
Ma loes Boe e s
a,*
, Wilma S eene eld
a
, Bea iz Ga cia-Mo an e
b,c,d
, Jona han Rush on
e,
,
Ge dien an Schaik
a,g
a
Depa men o Popula ion Heal h Sciences, sec ion Fa m Animal Heal h, Facul y o Ve e ina y Medicine, U ech Uni e si y, U ech , he Ne he lands
b
IRTA, P og ama de Sani a Animal, Cen e de Rece ca en Sani a Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Uni e si a Au `
onoma de Ba celona (UAB), Bella e a, Ca alonia
08193, Spain
c
WOAH Collabo a ing Cen e o he Resea ch and Con ol o Eme ging and Re-Eme ging Swine Diseases in Eu ope (IRTA-CReSA), Bella e a 08193, Spain
d
Uni a Mix a d
′
In es igaci´
o IRTA-UAB en Sani a Animal, Cen e de Rece ca en Sani a Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Uni e si a Au `
onoma de Ba celona (UAB),
Bella e a 08193, Spain
e
Global Bu den o Animal Diseases (GBADs) P og amme, Uni e si y o Li e pool, Li e pool, UK
Ins i u e o In ec ion, Ve e ina y and Ecological Sciences, School o Heal h and Li e Sciences, Uni e si y o Li e pool, Li e pool, Uni ed Kingdom
g
Royal GD, De en e , he Ne he lands
ARTICLE INFO
Keywo ds:
Swine
Biomass
Po cine ep oduc i e and espi a o y synd ome
Disease bu den
ABSTRACT
Gaining insigh in o he size and composi ion o na ional pig popula ions can suppo decisions on disease
con ol, wel a e, and en i onmen al sus ainabili y. Howe e , i one needs o d aw meaning ul compa isons
be ween he pe o mance o a ious p oduc ion sys ems o coun ies, a me hod o s anda diza ion is equi ed.
One app oach o achie e his is by means o biomass es ima ion. The objec i e o his s udy was o de elop a
biomass es ima ion amewo k ha can p o ide de ailed and eliable es ima es o a ening pig biomass dis-
agg ega ed by pig li e s age (suckling, weaning and a ening), while accoun ing o he dynamic na u e o pig
popula ions. The amewo k was de eloped on publicly accessible da a pe aining o pig p oduc ion in he
Ne he lands, and we addi ionally assessed a ailabili y o equi ed da a o se e al o he Eu opean coun ies
(Spain, Ge many, and G ea B i ain). Th ee dis inc li e s ages—suckling pigle s, weaning pigs, and a ening
pigs—a e conside ed in he amewo k. Demog aphic and mo emen da a, including yea ly impo s, expo s, and
slaugh e numbe s, along wi h s anding popula ions, we e collec ed om o icial go e nmen al sou ces.
Requi ed p oduc ion pa ame e s we e sou ced om ep esen a i e su eys, wi h missing pa ame e s supple-
men ed by p i a e indus y epo s o expe elici a ion. The esul s om he amewo k o he Ne he lands yield
insigh s in o he Du ch pig sec o . In 2020, 156 million kg, 552 million kg, and 1654 million kg o biomass we e
p oduced in he suckling, weaning, and a ening s ages, espec i ely. The e alua ion agains census da a indi-
ca ed he amewo k’s eliabili y, wi h de ia ions mos ly below 10 %. Da a a ailabili y assessmen s o Spain,
Ge many and G ea B i ain e eal a ia ions in da a comple eness and unde sco e he impo ance o local
con ac s and language expe ise when ex ending he amewo k o o he coun ies. The amewo k’s ele ance
was u he demons a ed h ough an illus a i e applica ion, assessing he impac o po cine ep oduc i e and
espi a o y synd ome on pig biomass in he Ne he lands. In he mos se e e disease scena io, he p oduced
biomass dec eased by 13 %, 17 %, and 66 % in he suckling, weaning, and a ening s ages, espec i ely. Beyond
disease bu den es ima ion, he biomass es ima es can be used as a denomina o o a ious pu poses o p o ide
e iciency me ics, such as he amoun o an ibio ics used o he olume o g eenhouse gases emi ed pe kilo-
g am o pig biomass p oduced. While he amewo k could bene i om u he e inemen ega ding esou ce
use and economic alues, i s cu en i e a ion p o ides a obus and unique ounda ion o es ima ing biomass
disagg ega ed by pig li e s age, aiding decision-make s in he ag icul u al and e e ina y sec o .
* Co espondence o: Yalelaan 7, U ech , CL 3584, he Ne he lands.
E-mail add esses: [email p o ec ed] (M. Boe e s), [email p o ec ed] (W. S eene eld), [email p o ec ed] (B. Ga cia-Mo an e), [email p o ec ed]
(J. Rush on), [email p o ec ed] (G. an Schaik).
Con en s lis s a ailable a ScienceDi ec
P e en i e Ve e ina y Medicine
jou nal homepage: www.else ie .com/loca e/p e e med
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.p e e med.2024.106383
Recei ed 23 Janua y 2024; Recei ed in e ised o m 11 No embe 2024; Accep ed 12 No embe 2024
P e en i e Ve e ina y Medicine 234 (2025) 106383
A ailable online 17 No embe 2024
0167-5877/© 2024 The Au ho (s). Published by Else ie B.V. This is an open access a icle unde he CC BY license (
h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/ ).
1. In oduc ion
Pig a ming is an impo an sec o o he ag icul u al indus y,
p o iding a signi ican sou ce o p o ein and con ibu ing o he econ-
omy o many coun ies a ound he wo ld. Gaining insigh in o he size
and composi ion o na ional pig popula ions can suppo decisions on
disease con ol, wel a e, eed and nu ien managemen , as well as
en i onmen al sus ainabili y. Howe e , i one needs o d aw meaning ul
compa isons be ween he pe o mance o a ious p oduc ion sys ems,
pig b eeds, age g oups o coun ies, a sys ema ic me hod is equi ed o
s anda dize he popula ion o di e ing scales and p oduc ion cha ac-
e is ics (e.g. a ge weigh s). One e ec i e app oach in ol es u ilizing
biomass es ima es, a me hod ha en ails con e ing indi idual coun s
in o hei co esponding weigh s, measu ed in kilog ams. Unlike con-
en ional measu es such as li es ock uni s (LU), which p o ide a
simpli ied me ic ha agg ega es di e en li es ock ypes in o a s an-
da d uni o enable compa isons be ween li es ock species, biomass
es ima ion allows o a nuanced unde s anding o he s uc u al dy-
namics wi hin a single sec o . Biomass es ima es a e al eady commonly
used o s anda dize and compa e an imic obial use on a na ional scale
(Bulu and I anek, 2022), o en e e ed o as he popula ion co ec ion
uni . Mo eo e , no el a eas whe e biomass es ima es a e used, include
he s anda diza ion o he en i onmen al impac om li es ock p o-
duc ion (Akama i e al., 2022), he es ima ion o he economic alue o
li es ock, and he bu den o diseases and wel a e p oblems (Hun ing on
e al., 2021; Rush on e al., 2021).
Pig biomass es ima ions a e pa icula ly challenging due o he dy-
namic na u e o pig popula ions and dispa i ies in p oduc ion p ac ices.
Pigs can be classi ied in o di e en age and weigh ca ego ies, and hey
a e commonly housed in dis inc sys ems h oughou hei li es, an-
si ioning h ough s ages such as suckling, weaning, and a ening. These
g oups o animals a e challenged by en i onmen al, disease o wel a e
issues in di e en ways (Gebha d e al., 2020; Sa azin e al., 2019;
USDA, 2015; an S aa e en e al., 2018). Add essing hese challenges
equi es a sys ema ic app oach o assess issues bo h ac oss he en i e pig
popula ion and wi hin speci ic age g oups. Ca ego izing pigs in o
sepa a e age classi ica ions becomes c ucial o gaining insigh s in o
how en i onmen al, disease, and wel a e conce ns impac di e en
s ages o hei de elopmen . This g anula i y enables he de elopmen
o a ge ed in e en ions and managemen s a egies ailo ed o he
speci ic needs o each age g oup. Mo eo e , o enhance he applicabili y
o he me hod beyond a single coun y, i is impe a i e ha he me h-
odology accommoda es he di e se p oduc ion p ac ices and a ying
da a a ailabili y ac oss di e en coun ies. The de elopmen o a lex-
ible and obus me hodology is essen ial o ensu e i s e ec i eness in
accoun ing o disc epancies in a ming p ac ices and da a collec ion
sys ems ac oss egions. This adap abili y is i al o he success ul u i-
liza ion o he me hod in assessing pig biomass on a con inen al o e en
global scale.
In ecen yea s, se e al o ganiza ions and p og ams, including he
Wo ld O ganisa ion o Animal Heal h (WOAH) (Wo ld O ganisa ion o
Animal Heal h, 2023), he Eu opean Su eillance o Ve e ina y An i-
mic obial Consump ion (ESVAC) (Eu opean Medicines Agency, 2023),
he Canadian In eg a ed P og am o An imic obial Resis ance Su eil-
lance (CIPARS) (Go e nmen o Canada, 2022), and he U.S. Food and
D ug Adminis a ion (FDA) (Food and D ug Adminis a ion, 2023), ha e
de eloped and applied biomass es ima ion me hods o pigs. These
me hods p ima ily ely on da a om li es ock censuses o su eys and
mul iply he o al numbe o pigs wi h an a e age pig weigh de i ed
om ep esen a i e samples o he popula ion. Howe e , he me hods
a y in e ms o whe he impo s and expo s a e conside ed, and which
weigh pa ame e s and da a sou ces a e used, which esul s in a ying
le els o de ail (Bulu and I anek, 2022). Fo ins ance, in line wi h hei
objec i e o s anda dize o di e en coun ies and species, WOAH and
ESVAC ely on in e na ional public da abases like FAOSTAT and Eu o-
s a . These sou ces may p o ide easily accessible da a bu gene ally ha e
a lowe g anula i y and a lowe accu acy han na ional public da a
sou ces. Al hough he me hods o he FDA and CIPARS in u n use na-
ional da a sou ces, all me hods a e lacking he abili y o disagg ega e
na ional-le el pig biomass by age.
While biomass es ima ion also p o ides a c ucial ounda ion o
unde s anding pig a ming dynamics and p oduc i i y, i s ue po en ial
is ealized when applied o speci ic challenges wi hin he indus y. One
such challenge is posed by he po cine ep oduc i e and espi a o y
synd ome i us (PRRSV), a pa hogen wi h p o ound economic impli-
ca ions o pig p oduc ion globally (Boe e s e al., 2023). The i us in-
duces ep oduc i e impai men o ailu e in sows, as well as espi a o y
disease ac oss all age g oups o pigs (Zimme man e al., 2019). While he
disease a ec s bo h mo ali y and mo bidi y in each s age o a pig’s li e,
i s se e i y is no uni o m ac oss all s ages (Na hues e al., 2017).
Al hough he disease has been endemic in many coun ies o decades,
se e al coun ies ha e emba ked on disease e adica ion p og ammes in
o de o imp o e na ional pig pe o mance (Ra hkjen and Dall, 2017;
Szab´
o e al., 2019). Calcula ing he po en ial inc ease in p oduced
biomass esul ing om PRRSV e adica ion may suppo hese de-
elopmen s and incen i ize he implemen a ion o e adica ion p o-
g ammes in o he coun ies.
Hence, he objec i e o his s udy was o de elop a gene ic and ac-
cu a e biomass es ima ion amewo k ha can p o ide de ailed and
eliable es ima es o a ening pig biomass disagg ega ed by pig li e
s age (suckling, weaning and a ening) and ha e lec s he dynamic
na u e o pig popula ions. The amewo k was de eloped on publicly
accessible da a pe aining o pig p oduc ion in he Ne he lands, and we
e iewed he a ailabili y o equi ed da a o se e al o he Eu opean
coun ies (Spain, Ge many, and G ea B i ain). Addi ionally, we illus-
a e how biomass es ima ion imp o es ou unde s anding o he bu den
imposed by he po cine ep oduc i e and espi a o y synd ome (PRRS)
by e alua ing changes in p oduced pig biomass in he Ne he lands due
o a ia ion in disease se e i y.
2. Ma e ials and me hods
2.1. Gene ic biomass amewo k
An o e iew o he lows conside ed wi hin he amewo k, ha a e
ul ima ely con e ed o biomass, is p esen ed in Fig. 1. We de eloped
he amewo k in Mic oso Excel (Mic oso Co po a ion, 2018)
(a ailable in Supplemen a y ile S1). This amewo k ocuses exclusi ely
on he pig popula ion aised o slaugh e , as he b eeding popula ion
was no included due o incomple e and insu icien ly a ailable da a
equi ed o accu a e calcula ions. Wi hin hese g owing pigs, h ee li e
s ages (S) we e iden i ied as common in Eu ope: suckling pigle s (p e--
weaning), weaning pigs and a ening pigs. Each s age encompasses
unique in lows and ou lows o indi iduals, o which de ailed calcula-
ions a e p o ided in he nex sec ions. The calcula ed quan i ies o in-
di iduals a each s age and wi hin each low se e as he ounda ion o
he biomass es ima ions, as desc ibed in Sec ion 2.1.7. The amewo k
p o ides pig biomass es ima ions pe yea , a a na ional le el. We buil
and e alua ed he amewo k o he Ne he lands, o he yea s
2019–2021.
2.1.1. Da a and pa ame e s used
Table 1 p o ides an o e iew o all da a and pa ame e s needed o
eed he amewo k. The amewo k equi es demog aphic and mo e-
men da a ha includes yea ly impo s, expo s and slaugh e s, as well
as he s anding popula ion a he end o he cu en and he p e ious
yea , pe li e s age. These da a a e published mon hly o bi-annually on
o icial go e nmen al websi es and a e eely accessible o he public.
Requi ed p oduc ion pa ame e s, such as pigle s bo n ali e pe sow
and mo ali y a es, a e p e e ably ob ained om public ep esen a i e
su eys om he na ional popula ion. Compa ed o al e na i e sou ces,
hese su eys p o ide mo e accu a e, anspa en , and unbiased da a,
M. Boe e s e al. P e en i e Ve e ina y Medicine 234 (2025) 106383
2
ensu ing ha he esul s e lec he di e si y o a m p ac ices and a e
consis en ac oss egions and ime. Fo he Du ch pig sec o , hese su -
eys a e published annually and a e inancially suppo ed by he na-
ional minis y o ag icul u e, na u e and ood quali y. Requi ed
pa ame e s missing om hese su eys we e de i ed om p i a e in-
dus y epo s, o , in some cases, om expe elici a ion. In gene al, he
indus y epo s a e published by companies in he pig sec o , a e o en
published i egula ly o inciden ally and a e o en only a ailable in he
na ional language. One especially use ul epo was published by he
Ag icul u e and Ho icul u e De elopmen Boa d (AHDB) in 2021
(Ag icul u e and Ho icul u e De elopmen Boa d, 2021), in which
se e al pig p oduc ion pa ame e s o se en een Eu opean coun ies
we e published. The collabo a ing o ganisa ions a e known collec i ely
as In e PIG.
2.1.2. Flows om one s age o he nex (Flownex S, )
Wi hin a yea , indi iduals may go h ough mul iple li e s ages. Fo
example, suckling pigle s ha a e weaned wi hin he yea , will low o
he weaning pig s age, whe eas suckling pigle s ha a e bo n a he end
o he yea will emain in he suckling s age un il he nex yea . The
p obabili y o indi iduals mo ing om s age S o he nex s age (Pnex ,S),
is calcula ed by:
Pnex ,S=1− (du a ionS/365)
Whe e du a ionSdeno es he du a ion o he li e s age S.
Consequen ly, he numbe o indi iduals wi hin a li e s age S lowing
o he nex s age wi hin yea (Flownex S, )is calcula ed by:
Flownex S, =Pnex ,S∗ (censusS, −1+In lowS, −Ou lowS, )
Whe e censusS, −1deno es he census popula ion o s age S a he end o
he p e ious yea , In lowS, deno es all he in lows in s age S o yea ,
and Ou lowS, all he ou lows om s age S o yea .
2.1.3. Suckling pigle s
The i s li e s age comp ises he pigle s ha a e s ill wi h he sow
un il hey a e weaned a a weigh o on a e age 7 kg. A he s a o he
yea , he indi iduals in he s age consis o he census popula ion a he
end o he p e ious yea , censussuckling, −1.The only addi ional in low in
his s age a e he new bi hs in yea :
In lowsuckling, =bi hs
bi hs =pigle s bo n ali e pe sow ∗no.o sows
The ou lows consis o he dea hs in he suckling li e s age, bo h in
he census popula ion and he newbo n suckling pigle s. Fo some
coun ies, he ou lows may also include he sales o suckling pigle s o
slaugh e (e.g., Spain).
Ou lowsuckling, =dea hssuckling,
dea hsSuckling, =dea hsCensusSuckling, +dea hsNewbo ns,
dea hsCensusSuckling, =mo ali y a esuckling ∗censussuckling, −1
dea hsNewbo ns, = (pigle s bo n ali e pe sow −pigle s weaned pe sow )
∗no.o sows
Whe e, censussuckling, −1is he census popula ion o suckling pigle s a
he end o he p e ious yea .
2.1.4. Weaning pigs
The second li e s age con ains he pigs om weaning un il hey each
a maximum bodyweigh o 50 kg (on a ow- o inish a ms) o un il
hey a e ans e ed o ano he acili y o expo ed, o en a ound 25 kg.
To add ess his a iabili y, we a e aged he ansi ion weigh a 30 kg,
based on indus y epo s (Ag icul u e and Ho icul u e De elopmen
Fig. 1. O e iew o he conside ed lows o indi iduals and biomass wi hin he amewo k.
Table 1
Requi ed da a and pa ame e s used wi hin he amewo k, hei no a ion as used
in o mulas, and he alues and sou ces o he Du ch da a and pa ame e s. S1 =
Supplemen a y ile 1, G =Go e nmen al da abase, S =Rep esen a i e su ey, R
=Repo s om he indus y.
No a ion Da a/
alue
Sou ce
Demog aphic and mo emen da a
S anding
popula ion da a
censusS, S1 G (Cen aal Bu eau oo
de S a is iek, n.d)
Impo s o li e
animals
impo sS, S1 G (Rijksdiens oo
Onde nemend
Nede land, 2023)
Expo s o li e
animals
expo sS, S1 G (Rijksdiens oo
Onde nemend
Nede land, 2023)
Slaugh e s slaugh e S, S1 G (Rijksdiens oo
Onde nemend
Nede land, 2023)
P oduc ion pa ame e s
Pigle s bo n
ali e pe sow
pigle s bo n ali e pe sow S1 S (Ag ima ie, 2022)
Pigle s weaned
pe sow
pigle s weaned pe sow S1 S (Ag ima ie, 2022)
P e-weaning
mo ali y a e
mo ali y a esuckling 0.122 R (Blanken e al., 2019)
Weaning
mo ali y a e
mo ali y a eweaning 0.025 R (Ag icul u e and
Ho icul u e
De elopmen Boa d,
2021)
Fa ene
mo ali y a e
mo ali y a e a ening 0.025 R (Ag icul u e and
Ho icul u e
De elopmen Boa d,
2021)
Du a ion
suckling s age
du a ionsuckling 25
days
S (The Ne he lands
Ve e ina y Medicines
Ins i u e, 2022)
Du a ion
weaning s age
du a ionweaning 59
days
R (Boeh inge
Ingelheim, 2018)
A e age daily
gain
A e age daily gain a ening S1 S (Ag ima ie, 2022)
Replacemen
a e sows
Replacemen 0.5 Expe elici a ion
M. Boe e s e al. P e en i e Ve e ina y Medicine 234 (2025) 106383
3
Boa d, 2021). A he s a o he yea , he indi iduals in he s age
comp ise he census popula ion a he end o he p e ious yea ,
censusweaning, −1.In his s age, he in lows comp ise he in low om he
suckling s age (Flownex suckling, ), and he impo s in yea
(impo sweaning, ):
In lowweaning, =Flownex suckling, +impo sweaning,
As ou lows, we dis inguish h ee lows: dea hs (dea hsweaning, ), ex-
po s (expo sweaning, ), and pigs selec ed o be ea ed as gil s ins ead o
a ening pigs (gil s ):
Ou lowweaning, =dea hsweaning, +expo sweaning, +gil s
dea hsweaning, =mo ali y a eweaning ∗ (censusweaning, −1+In lowweaning, )
gil s =Replacemen ∗no.o sows
Whe e, Replacemen deno es he eplacemen a e o sows.
2.1.5. Fa ening pigs
The las li e s age con ains he a ening pigs ha s a wi h a body
weigh o on a e age 30 kg, and a e kep in his s age un il hey a e sen
o slaugh e a a weigh o on a e age 125 kg. Again, a he s a o he
yea , he indi iduals in he s age comp ise he census popula ion a he
end o he p e ious yea , census a ening, −1. Fo his s age, he wo in lows
a e he in low om he weaning s age (Flownex weaning, )and impo s in
yea (impo s a ening, ):
In low a ening, =Flownex weaning, +impo s a ening,
The ou lows om his s age a e dea hs, expo s, and slaugh e s:
Ou low a ening, =dea hs a ening, +expo s a ening, +slaugh e a ening,
dea hs a ening, =mo ali y a e a ening ∗ (census a ening, −1+In low a ening, )
Whe e censusweaning, −1deno es he census popula ion o a ening pigs a
he end o he p e ious yea .
The du a ion o he a ening s age (du a ion a ening)is dependen on
he a e age daily gain and he kilog ams he animal needs o gain om
he s a o he a ening s age un il slaugh e :
du a ion a ening =Weigh end a ening s age −weigh s a a ening s age
A e age daily gain a ening
2.1.6. Valida ion o esul s
The amewo k esul s we e alida ed by compa ing he numbe s o
animals emaining in a ce ain li e s age a he end o yea , wi h he
census popula ion epo ed o he end o yea , o censusS, . This
numbe o animals emaining in a li e s age S o yea (RemainingS, )is
calcula ed as ollows:
RemainingS, =censusS, −1+In lowS, −Ou lowS, −Flownex S,
The di e ence be ween he calcula ed numbe o indi iduals and he
census popula ion is exp essed as a pe cen age de ia ion.
2.1.7. Biomass calcula ion
To ul ima ely calcula e he biomass o pigs du ing and lowing in o
ou o li e s age S du ing yea , all numbe s o pigs p esen in he
s anding popula ion and in each s age- ela ed low a e mul iplied wi h
hei espec i e (s anda dized) weigh s in kilog ams. Table 2 shows o
all lows he assigned weigh pe li e s age.
Subsequen ly, we analysed biomass disagg ega ed by pig li e s age,
by calcula ing he p oduced biomass in each s age sepa a ely. This
p oduced biomass e lec s he biomass gained exclusi ely du ing he
speci ied li e s age, and, hus, enables he comple e disagg ega ion o li e
s ages. The p oduced biomass is calcula ed by adding he biomass ha
exi ed he phase (i.e. ia expo s, dea hs, p og ession o he nex li e
s age) and he biomass ha emained in he popula ion a he end o he
yea ( emaining
S,
), hen sub ac ing he biomass ha en e ed he phase
(i.e. impo s, bi hs, in lows om he p e ious li e s age) and he
biomass ha was al eady p esen a he s a o he yea (census
S,
). As an
example, he p oduced biomass o he suckling s age is calcula ed as:
P oduced biomasssuckling, =(dea hssuckling, ∗1.5+Flownex suckling, ∗7
+ emainingsuckling, ∗4.5)− (bi hs ∗1.3
+censussuckling, −1∗4.5)
As an illus a ion o wha esul s a e ob ained om he amewo k,
we epo he ou pu s o he yea 2020.
2.2. Da a a ailabili y in o he coun ies
To explo e he po en ial o applying he amewo k in o he da a-
ich coun ies, we e iewed he a ailabili y o he equi ed de-
mog aphic and mo emen da a, p oduc ion pa ame e s, and weigh s pe
low o Spain, G ea B i ain, and Ge many. While we sough o iden i y
ele an da ase s, his e iew ocused solely on da a accessibili y a he
han a de ailed assessmen o he amewo k’s sui abili y o di e ences
in p oduc ion sys ems ac oss hese coun ies. Simila o he app oach
aken o he Ne he lands, we a emp ed o e ie e all da a on he
census popula ion, impo s and expo s, and slaugh e s om he web-
si es o he espec i e minis y o ag icul u e pe coun y. To ob ain
na ion-speci ic p oduc ion pa ame e s and weigh s, publicly a ailable
esul s o ep esen a i e na ional su eys we e sough . The espec i e
o ganisa ions and websi es supplying his desc ibed in o ma ion a e
gi en in Table 3. Whe e easible, we supplemen ed missing in o ma ion
wi h p i a e epo s om he indus y. Among hese epo s, we also
conside ed he p e iously desc ibed epo by he AHDB (Ag icul u e
and Ho icul u e De elopmen Boa d, 2021).
Table 2
A e age weigh s pe low pe li e s age o pigs in he Ne he lands, used o
con e he coun s o animals o kilog ams o biomass. Whe e possible, he used
weigh s we e a e ages o he yea 2020 speci ically. S =Rep esen a i e su ey,
R=Repo s om he indus y.
Flow A e age weigh (in kg) Sou ce
Suckling Weaning Fa ening
Census,
Remaining
4.5 17.5 70 S (The Ne he lands
Ve e ina y Medicines
Ins i u e, 2022)
Flow
Nex
7 30 125 R (Ag icul u e and
Ho icul u e De elopmen
Boa d, 2021), (Boeh inge
Ingelheim, 2018)
Bi hs 1.3 - - R (Boeh inge Ingelheim,
2018)
Dea hs 1.5 17.5 70 S (The Ne he lands
Ve e ina y Medicines
Ins i u e, 2022)/ Expe
elici a ion
Impo s - 25 125 R (Ag icul u e and
Ho icul u e De elopmen
Boa d, 2021)/ Expe
elici a ion
Expo s - 25 125 R (Ag icul u e and
Ho icul u e De elopmen
Boa d, 2021)/ Expe
elici a ion
Gil s - 30 - Expe elici a ion
Slaugh e - - 125 R (Ag icul u e and
Ho icul u e De elopmen
Boa d, 2021)
M. Boe e s e al. P e en i e Ve e ina y Medicine 234 (2025) 106383
4
2.3. The impac o PRRS on pig biomass pe li e s age
As an illus a ion, we showcase how he amewo k could be used o
gain insigh in o he impac o PRRS on Du ch pig biomass ac oss
di e en li e s ages, in he yea 2020. We conside ed he ollowing
scena ios:
1. Baseline scena io: As he baseline, we used ou de eloped amewo k
and assumed ha he esul ing biomass es ima ions al eady inco -
po a e a sligh impac o PRRS ac oss all Du ch a ms.
2. Dec ease in disease impac and ee-o -disease: These wo scena ios
in ol e calcula ing he po en ial inc ease in biomass by (pa ially)
e adica ing PRRSV in he Ne he lands.
3. Mode a e and se e e inc ease in disease impac : In hese wo sce-
na ios, we calcula ed he addi ional losses i he impac o PRRS
in ensi ies in he Ne he lands.
In all scena ios, we assumed ha pigs emain in he a ening s age
un il hey each hei a ge weigh . Addi ionally, we assumed ha he
quan i ies o impo s and expo s will emain cons an , he eby
cap u ing he impac o PRRS on p oduced biomass pe s age h ough
a ia ions in he numbe s o animals weaned, placed in a ening, and
slaugh e ed. The pa ame e s om ou amewo k a ec ed by he
di e en disease scena ios include mo ali y a es pe li e s age, a e age
pigle s bo n ali e pe sow, and he du a ion o li e s ages (which e lec s
daily weigh gain). The adjus men s o hese pa ame e s a e based on
Na hues e al. (2017), who e alua ed a ious PRRSV-in ec ed a m
scena ios. We used pa ame e s om scena ios ep esen ing disease- ee
a ms, mode a ely a ec ed a ms, and se e ely a ec ed a ms,
exp essing hem as pe cen age changes ela i e o he "Rep o &Respi –
sligh ly" scena io desc ibed by Na hues e al., as we conside his sce-
na io mos compa able o ou baseline (Table 4). Addi ionally, we
in oduced a scena io wi h a mode a e dec ease in disease impac ,
se ing as an in e media e scena io be ween he baseline and he
ee-o -disease scena io. Ul ima ely, he amewo k was e un wi h he
a ec ed pa ame e s o ob ain new es ima ions o pig biomass lows a
each li e s age, allowing he quan i ica ion o he impac o disease as
di e ences in p oduced biomass.
3. Resul s
3.1. Ou pu s om he baseline amewo k: biomass calcula ions o he
Ne he lands
Fig. 2 shows he calcula ed numbe s o animals pe in- and ou low
and h oughou each pig li e s age, o he yea 2020. This igu e shows,
among o he s, he impo ance o expo in he Du ch pig indus y, as he
numbe o pigs expo ed is oughly 25 % o o al pigs bo n in a yea . The
mo ali y o ms ano he 20 % o all pigs bo n in a yea , which mainly
occu ed in he suckling s age (80 % o all dea hs). The numbe s o
animals pe low and s age o med he basis o he biomass es ima ion.
The amoun o es ima ed biomass o each in- and ou low is p o ided in
Fig. 3 and Table 6. Al hough mos mo ali y occu ed in he suckling
s age, Fig. 3a shows ha he biomass los due o mo ali y in his s age
o ms a ela i ely small p opo ion o all los biomass due o mo ali y
(23 %). Fig. 3b highligh s he subs an ial expo ed biomass in bo h he
weaning and a ening s ages.
O e all, he p oduced biomass pe li e s age was qui e s able o e he
yea s, wi h only a sligh dec ease ac oss all li e s ages in he yea 2021
compa ed o 2020 (Fig. 3c). While mos lows show ela i ely mino
yea - o-yea changes, a no able excep ion is he clea dec ease in expo s
o a ening pigs obse ed o e ime. When we e alua ed he calcula-
ions o he amewo k by compa ing he numbe s o animals emaining
in a ce ain s age a he end o he yea wi h he da a on he census
popula ion a ha ime, he de ia ions emained below 10 % excep o
he a ening s age in 2021.
3.2. Assessing he a ailabili y o equi ed da a in o he coun ies
Table 5 p o ides an o e iew o he a ailabili y o ull da a and
pa ame e s needed o use he baseline biomass amewo k o h ee
o he Eu opean coun ies: Spain, G ea B i ain, and Ge many. O hese
coun ies, G ea B i ain showed he highes a ailabili y o da a and
Ge many he lowes . Requi ed da a ha we e a ailable in all cases we e
he numbe o slaugh e s pe yea . Al hough popula ion census da a is
also comple e o Spain and Ge many, sligh di e ences exis in how li e
s ages a e de ined (in e ms o age and weigh s) ha could complica e
hei use in he amewo k. Da a on impo s and expo s o li e animals
we e no published on he go e nmen al websi es, o none o he
coun ies.
Mos o he equi ed pa ame e s we e ob ained om he published
esul s om ep esen a i e na ional su eys (Table 5) o om he epo
by AHDB (Ag icul u e and Ho icul u e De elopmen Boa d, 2021).
Pa ame e s om sow a ms (i.e., p e-weaning mo ali y, pigle s bo n
ali e pe sow, sow eplacemen a e) a e no included in his epo by
AHDB bu could in mos cases be ecalcula ed om o he da a o be
ound published elsewhe e. The pa ame e s ha we e no e ie ed by
he au ho s, we e he du a ion o he weaning s age in Spain and Ge -
many, he eplacemen a e o sows in Ge many, s anda dized li e
weigh s o he census popula ion, and he li e weigh a he s a o
a ening in Spain.
3.3. Illus a ion o u ilizing he amewo k: The impac o PRRS scena ios
on pig biomass pe li e s age
Table 6 p esen s he changes in es ima ed biomass o a ec ed lows
pe li e s age unde ou PRRS se e i y scena ios, compa ed o he
baseline o he yea 2020. The mos signi ican impac s on pig biomass
s em om changes in mo ali y a es ac oss all li e s ages and educ ions
in he numbe o li e bi hs. The dec eased numbe o li e bi hs a ec s
he en i e p oduc ion chain, and when combined wi h inc eased mo -
ali y and al e ed s age du a ions, he mos p onounced e ec s a e
obse ed on a ening a ms, esul ing in a dec ease in p oduced biomass
o up o 66 % unde he mos se e e disease scena io.
4. Discussion
This s udy has in oduced a no el and comp ehensi e biomass es i-
ma ion amewo k. An essen ial aspec ha se s his biomass es ima ion
amewo k apa is i s abili y o o e de ailed insigh s in o he dynamics
and p oduc i i y o pig popula ions a di e en li e s ages. We addi-
ionally pa ially e alua ed he gene alizabili y o he amewo k by
Table 3
Go e nmen al da abases and ep esen a i e na ional samples iden i ied o
h ee Eu opean coun ies (Spain, G ea B i ain and Ge many), supplying da a
and pa ame e s equi ed o he biomass es ima ion amewo k.
Spain G ea B i ain Ge many
Go e nmen
da abase (G)
Minis e io de
ag icul u a,
pesca y
alimen aci´
on
www.mapa.
gob.es
Depa men o
En i onmen ,
Food &Ru al
A ai s
www.go .uk
Bundesin o ma ionszen um
Landwi scha
www.bzl-da enzen um.de
Rep esen a i e
na ional
sample (S)
BDpo c
h ps://bdp
o c.i a.es/
Ag icul u e
and
Ho icul u e
De elopmen
Boa d (AHDB)
po k ools.
ahdb.o g.uk
1
No ound
1 Al hough he wo k o AHDB is no unded by he go e nmen , qua e ly s a-
is ics a e published based on ep esen a i e samples om he popula ion.
M. Boe e s e al. P e en i e Ve e ina y Medicine 234 (2025) 106383
5
iden i ying sou ces o da a and p oduc ion pa ame e s o se e al Eu-
opean coun ies. Las ly, ou s udy sheds ligh on he po en ial appli-
ca ions o biomass es ima ion by means o he amewo k, pa icula ly
in assessing he impac o PPRS on he na ional sec o .
4.1. Key insigh s om es ima ing pig biomass in he Ne he lands
The biomass amewo k was de eloped on da a speci ic o he
Ne he lands and he esul s illus a e he size and a ia ions in p oduced
biomass du ing he suckling, weaning and a ening s ages o e he
yea s. These ou pu s acili a e compa isons o p oduc i i y ac oss yea s
wi hin a speci ic a m sys em. No ably, he expo o weaning pigs
cons i u es a subs an ial componen o he Du ch pig sec o , accoun ing
o oughly 25 % o all pigs bo n in a yea . The o he p ima y ou low o
indi idual pigs consis ed o mo ali y, wi h app oxima ely 80 % o all
mo ali y occu ing in he suckling s age. Howe e , his numbe
cons i u ed less han 25 % o he o al biomass los due o mo ali y.
While smalle in numbe , dea hs occu ing in he a ening s age
con ibu ed mos o he o e all biomass los due o mo ali y. These
dea hs can also be conside ed he mos inancially bu densome o a
a me , as la ge in es men s a e made up un il he poin o dea h
compa ed o mo ali y in he suckling s age. Consequen ly, while ou
amewo k highligh s mo ali y in he a ening s age due o he highe
weigh o he pigs, his ocus could inad e en ly o e shadow he wel-
a e needs o pigs in he suckling s age, whe e mo ali y a es a e
signi ican ly highe , e en hough he biomass losses a e lowe . This
duali y highligh s a con lic be ween ocusing on biomass loss and
add essing wel a e conce ns, and unde sco es he impo ance o
adop ing a balanced app oach ha p io i izes bo h economic iabili y
and animal well-being in he managemen o pig popula ions.
4.2. Challenges in da a collec ion and u iliza ion
The de eloped amewo k cu en ly ope a es independen ly o he
sow popula ion dynamics, which encompasses ep oduc i e pe o -
mance me ics like he e u n- o-oes us and abo ion a es. When
a emp ing o in eg a e his componen in o he amewo k, we
encoun e ed se e al challenges due o he lack o accessible da a,
pa icula ly pe aining o he census eco ds o a ious age g oups o
sows and he eco ds o sow slaugh e s. Al hough he amewo k does
no equi e his componen , applica ions such as es ima ing he bu den
o PRRS could be mo e comple e i e ec s on sow pe o mance would
also be conside ed.
In gene al, he amewo k elies on accu a e da a collec ion and can
be a ec ed by unde epo ing o incomple e da a. One challenge we
encoun e ed in he collec ion o go e nmen al census da a, was he
ambigui y ega ding he ansi ion h eshold be ween weaning and
a ening pigs. O icial census da a classi ies pigs unde 50 kg as weaning
pigs, bu in p ac ice, a me s o en conside pigs hea ie han 25 kg as
a ening pigs, especially when hey a e mo ed o sepa a e acili ies.
This disc epancy can a ec he accu acy o he amewo k’s ou pu s,
pa icula ly when es ima ing and compa ing he numbe o pigs and
p oduced biomass ac oss he weaning and a ening s ages. The ame-
wo k uses 30 kg as he end weigh o he weaning s age, based on Eu-
opean indus y no ms epo ed by AHDB (Ag icul u e and Ho icul u e
De elopmen Boa d, 2021), o add ess his ambigui y. Howe e , he
absence o a clea , s anda dized de ini ion in he a ailable da a com-
plica es he classi ica ion o pigs be ween hese wo s ages, po en ially
causing o e lap be ween hem. Gi en he in luence o weigh on he
o al p oduced biomass pe s age, his ambigui y could a ec he accu-
acy o he amewo k’s ou pu s. Fu he in es iga ion in o how a me s
Table 4
Du ch baseline p oduc ion pa ame e s a ec ed by PRRS and hei pe cen age changes ac oss ou scena ios, adap ed om Na hues e al. (2017), wi h an addi ional
mode a e dec ease in disease impac scena io by he au ho s.
Scena io
A ec ed li e
s age
A ec ed pa ame e Baseline alue o he Ne he lands
(2020)
F ee o disease
(%)
Mode a e dec ease
(%)
Mode a e inc ease
(%)
Se e e inc ease
(%)
Suckling Mo ali y a e 0.122 −8.3 −4.2 +12.5 +25.0
Pigle s bo n ali e pe
sow
35.7 +5.0 +2.5 −5.8 −10.7
Weaning Mo ali y a e 0.02 −40.0 −20 +100.0 +200.0
Du a ion s age (days) 59 −6.3 −3.2 +4.2 +14.6
Fa ening Mo ali y a e 0.025 −25.0 −12.5 +50.0 +150.0
Du a ion s age (days) 109.7 −2.5 −1.3 +4.1 +99.9
Fig. 2. Flows o pigs (in millions o heads) h ough o ou o h ee pig li e s ages in he Ne he lands (2020). In lows om impo s we e excluded om he igu e, as
numbe s o pigs we e negligibly small. NB: o simplici y and cla i y, s anding popula ions a e excluded om he igu e, and ou lows due o mo ali y a e depic ed as
occu ing hal way du ing a li e s age, al hough he amewo k accoun s o dea hs occu ing h oughou he en i e li e s age.
M. Boe e s e al. P e en i e Ve e ina y Medicine 234 (2025) 106383
6
classi y hei animals in p ac ice could p o ide aluable insigh s and
help e ine hese es ima es.
Al hough all demog aphic and mo emen da a we e sou ced om
go e nmen al da abases, and mos p oduc ion pa ame e s we e de i ed
om hese ep esen a i e su eys, some pa ame e s had o be e ie ed
om indus y epo s. While indus y epo s can o e aluable insigh s,
hey may be less eliable due o se e al ac o s. These epo s o en
ep esen smalle o mo e selec i e samples ha do no ully cap u e he
b ead h o he na ional popula ion. Addi ionally, hey can be ou da ed
o in luenced by comme cial in e es s, which may in oduce biases ha
comp omise hei accu acy. In con as , na ional su eys and go e n-
men al da a collec ion a e sys ema ically designed o be mo e ep e-
sen a i e o he en i e a ming sec o , as hey a e o en manda o y and
subjec o egula o y o e sigh . This makes hem a mo e consis en and
eliable sou ce o annual, na ional-le el da a. The e o e, i is ad isable
o expand hese na ional su eys o include cu en ly una ailable pa-
ame e s, pa icula ly a e age s age du a ions, sow eplacemen a es,
mo ali y a es, and a e age weigh s o pigs a bi h, dea h, impo ,
expo , and slaugh e .
In o de o pa ially alida e he es ima es gene a ed by he ame-
wo k, we compa ed he calcula ed animal coun s a he end o he yea
o he census popula ion a he s a o he ollowing yea . O e all, he
de ia ions we e ela i ely small, mos ly emaining below 10 %. All
de ia ions we e posi i e, meaning he amewo k ended o o e -
es ima e sligh ly, bu ne e unde es ima ed. The de ia ions could be
a ibu ed o he ambigui y in he classi ica ion o li e s ages in census
da a, used p oduc ion pa ame e s de i ed om indus y epo s no
being comple ely ep esen a i e o he sec o o ou da ed, unde -
epo ing, o missing ou lows o indi iduals. As an example o he
la e , a small ac ion o he de ia ion could be explained by an ou low
o weaning pigle s sold o slaugh e . This low was no inco po a ed in
he amewo k as no da a o pa ame e s a e publicly a ailable on his.
One no ably la ge de ia ion occu ed in he yea 2021 o he a ening
pig s age, whe e he calcula ed de ia ion was 25.8 %. In he same yea ,
he da a showed a la ge unexplained dec ease in expo ed a ening pigs
(-40 % compa ed o 2020). While unde epo ing migh be a po en ial
cause, his decline could also be in luenced by o he ac o s o which he
au ho s a e no awa e o , such as ma ke dis up ions, changes in ade
policies, o shi s in demand due o ex e nal ci cums ances. These a -
ia ions in expo le els a e c i ical o conside as hey al e he es ima ed
domes ic pig popula ion dynamics and, hus, impac biomass es ima-
ions and disease bu den assessmen s. To ensu e he model’s obus ness,
we op ed o p esen ou pu s o he yea 2020, which showed mo e
consis en ends, while acknowledging he need o u he in es iga-
ion in o he causes o such luc ua ions.
4.3. A ailabili y o equi ed da a in o he Eu opean coun ies
While he amewo k was ini ially de eloped using da a om he
Ne he lands, we also explo ed he po en ial o applying he amewo k
in o he da a- ich coun ies, by e iewing da a accessibili y. Fo he
coun ies Spain, Ge many and G ea B i ain, mos demog aphic and
mo emen da a, and p oduc ion pa ame e s we e publicly a ailable,
al hough in se e al cases hey we e no in he same o ma as he Du ch
da a. An issue ha s ood ou was he lack o da a published on
go e nmen al websi es on he impo s and expo s o li e animals.
Addi ionally, dispa i ies we e obse ed in he publica ion o p oduc ion
pa ame e s ac oss he coun ies, bo h in e ms o di ec accessibili y and
Fig. 3. (a-c). Annual biomass dynamics and p oduc i i y, showing biomass losses due o mo ali y o 2020 (Panel a), biomass con ibu ions om bi hs, impo s,
expo s, and gil ea ing o 2019–2021 (Panel b), and o al p oduced biomass ac oss pig li e s ages o 2019–2021 (Panel c).
M. Boe e s e al. P e en i e Ve e ina y Medicine 234 (2025) 106383
7
e ie abili y om go e nmen al da abases o ep esen a i e su eys.
Mo ali y a es, s age du a ions, and (s anda dized) li e weigh s p o ed
pa icula ly elusi e o ob ain. The absence o se e al key pa ame e s in
bo h ep esen a i e su eys and indus y epo s necessi a es he eli-
ance on assump ions o expe elici a ion o b idge hese in o ma ional
gaps. I is c ucial o acknowledge ha his app oach in oduces an
elemen o unce ain y, po en ially impac ing he p ecision and eli-
abili y o he esul s. O e all, Ge many exhibi ed he lowes da a
a ailabili y, which can be a ibu ed o he absence o an iden i ied
ep esen a i e su ey o he Ge man pig sec o , bo h a he na ional
le el and s a e le els. I emains unclea whe he he absence o such a
su ey in Ge many is due o i s nonexis ence o i he au ho s, hinde ed
by language cons ain s, we e unable o loca e i . The same ambigui y
applies o he iden i ica ion o p i a e epo s om he Ge man indus y.
This highligh s he signi icance o engaging wi h local con ac s o ob ain
coun y-speci ic pa ame e s o implemen ing a amewo k o his le el
o de ail. Howe e , his ask na u ally becomes p og essi ely mo e
challenging when a emp ing a compa a i e analysis on a con inen al o
global scale. Las ly, o ully e alua e he eplicabili y o he amewo k
ac oss o he coun ies, such an assessmen would also need o encom-
pass a e iew o he di e ences in p oduc ion sys ems and hei impli-
ca ions o he s uc u e o he amewo k. This would in ol e a deepe
analysis o how a ying p oduc ion p ac ices and sys ems ac oss coun-
ies may a ec he amewo k’s applicabili y. Gi en ou cu en scope
and esou ce limi a ions, we we e unable o pe o m such an in-dep h
e iew, bu we ecognize his as an impo an a ea o u u e esea ch.
4.4. Using he biomass amewo k o es ima e he bu den o PRRS
As an illus a ion o u he use o he amewo k, we u ilized i o
assess he impac o PRRS on pig biomass in he Ne he lands. I is
impo an o s ess ha his is only in ended as an illus a ion o he
po en ial o he amewo k, and, hus, pa ame e s we e adap ed di ec ly
om he s udy by Na hues e al. (2017).
I is also impo an o no e ha in ou scena ios, we assumed he e
a e no maximum o minimum capaci y cons ain s on housing and
slaugh e ing animals, and ha impo s and expo s emain cons an . We
hypo hesize ha , in p ac ice, mos a me s will sell hei pigs o Du ch
slaugh e houses i s . The e o e, any su plus o de ici in p oduced
biomass would p ima ily be e lec ed in impo s and expo s, a he han
in he numbe o animals slaugh e ed. Fo simplici y and lack o con-
c e e e idence, we ha e no conside ed his mechanism in ou
calcula ions.
The esul s om he illus a i e scena ios depic ing a ying PRRS
se e i y demons a e he amewo k’s capabili y o cap u e he disease’s
impac on each li e s age indi idually, as well as he cumula i e e ec s
ac oss he en i e p oduc ion chain. Fo ins ance, in a ee-o -disease
scena io, he p oduced biomass inc eased by 6 %, 7 %, and 12 % in
he suckling, weaning, and a ening s ages, espec i ely. In con as ,
unde he mos se e e disease scena io, he p oduced biomass dec eased
signi ican ly by 13 %, 17 %, and 66 % ac oss hese s ages. This high-
ligh s how PRRS se e ely a ec s he a ening s age, whe e mo ali y
and educed g ow h culmina e, showcasing he impo ance o a ge ing
Table 5
Accessibili y o da a and pa ame e s essen ial o he baseline biomass ame-
wo k: A compa a i e o e iew o h ee Eu opean coun ies. Whe e, A =
Di ec ly a ailable in he same s uc u e as he Du ch da a; I =No di ec ly
a ailable, bu could be eques ed om go e nmen al da abases, o could be
calcula ed by using o he a ailable da a/pa ame e s, and; NA =da a o
pa ame e is comple ely una ailable and should be ob ained ia expe elici a-
ion. Addi ionally, o all (in-) di ec ly a ailable da a/pa ame e s, he sou ce is
indica ed, whe e G =Go e nmen al da abase, S =Rep esen a i e su ey, R =
Repo s om he indus y.
Spain G ea B i ain Ge many
Demog aphic and mo emen da a
S anding popula ion da a A (G) I (G) A (G)
Impo s o li e animals A (R) I (R)
1
I (R)
Expo s o li e animals I (R) I (R)
1
I (G)
Slaugh e s A (G) A (R)
1
A (G)
P oduc ion pa ame e s
Pigle s bo n ali e pe sow I (S) A (S)
1
I (R)
Pigle s weaned pe sow A (R) A (S)
1
A (R)
P e-weaning mo ali y a e A (S) A (S)
1
I (G)
Weaning mo ali y a e A (R) A (S)
1
A (R)
Fa ene mo ali y a e A (R) A (S)
1
A (R)
Du a ion p e-weaning s age A (S) A (R) I (G)
Du a ion weaning s age NA A (S)
1
NA
A e age daily gain A (R) A (S)
1
A (R)
Replacemen a e sows A (S) A (S)
1
NA
Li e weigh s
S anda dized o s anding popula ion NA I (R) NA
A bi h A (G) A (S)
1
I (G)
A weaning I (R) A (S)
1
I (G)
A s a a ening NA A (S)
1
I (G)
A slaugh e A (R) A (R) A (R)
1 Al hough he sou ce p o ides qua e ly s a is ics om ep esen a i e samples
om he popula ion, he unding o hese su eys is sou ced om a me s and
o he s akeholde s in he supply chain, as opposed o go e nmen unding.
Table 6
Biomass es ima es o all lows pe li e s age included in he amewo k o he yea 2020, wi h pe cen age changes unde ou di e en PRRS se e i y scena ios
compa ed o he baseline. NA =no applicable, meaning hese lows a e assumed o be una ec ed.
Pe cen change in es ima ed biomass pe scena io
Li e s age Flow / o al p oduced
biomass
Baseline biomass in 2020 (in million
kg)
F ee o disease (%) Mode a e dec ease
(%)
Mode a e inc ease
(%)
Se e e inc ease
(%)
Suckling Census popula ion 8.6 NA NA NA NA
Bi hs 40.4 +2.5 +5.0 −5.8 −10.7
Dea hs 14.8 −3.6 −1.7 +5.7 +11.1
Pigs weaned 181.9 +6.2 +3.1 −7.5 −14.0
P oduced biomass 156.3 +6.0 +3.0 −7.1 −13.2
Weaning Census popula ion 50.5 NA NA NA NA
Impo s 1.2 NA NA NA NA
Expo s 175.1 NA NA NA NA
Gil s 10.9 NA NA NA NA
Dea hs 12.1 −36.6 −17.8 +86.4 +162.2
Pigs mo ed o a ening 536.4 +9.9 +4.9 −12.6 −24.1
P oduced biomass 551.7 +7.1 +3.5 −8.8 −16.7
Fa ening Census popula ion 291.4 NA NA NA NA
Impo s 1.3 NA NA NA NA
Expo s 156.9 NA NA NA NA
Dea hs 38.6 −19.0 −9.0 +34.7 +101.1
Calcula ed slaugh e s 1923.2 +9.5 +4.7 −12.3 −44.8
P oduced biomass 1653.5 +12.1 +4.3 −23.0 −65.8
M. Boe e s e al. P e en i e Ve e ina y Medicine 234 (2025) 106383
8
disease con ol in e en ions e ec i ely. This is pa icula ly in e es ing
o diseases like PRRS, whe e accina ion and o he in e en ions a e
o en applied ea ly in he p oduc ion chain (Na hues e al., 2018).
4.5. Expanded applica ions o he biomass amewo k
Resul s om a disease bu den analysis can be u he u ilized o es-
ima e an economic bu den due o disease by conside ing impac ed
e enues and cos s. In hese calcula ions, one should accoun o po-
en ial p ice luc ua ions esul ing om changes in pig supply, as well as
ma ke dynamics in esponse o a ia ions in biomass a he na ional and
Eu opean le els, which could in luence p ices and, by ex ension, e e-
nues. Fo a mo e comp ehensi e es ima ion o a m-le el inancial im-
pac s due o disease, we ecommend ex ending he amewo k o include
shi s in inpu s and ou pu s ac oss each pig li e s age (Hun ing on e al.,
2021), while also econside ing he a me ’s selling s a egy. In ou
analysis, we we e cons ained by he inpu pa ame e s and assumed ha
a ening pigs emain on he a m un il hey each hei a ge weigh .
Howe e , in p ac ice, a me s may choose o sell pigs a a lowe weigh
o espec hei all-in-all-ou managemen . Inco po a ing hese ac o s
would o e a clea e unde s anding o esou ce use and p oduc ion e -
iciency unde a ious disease scena ios.
In addi ion o aiding in disease bu den assessmen , ou me hod could
also enhance exis ing s anda diza ion me hods o an imic obial usage
and g eenhouse gas emissions (Akama i e al., 2022; Bulu and I anek,
2022). I is, hen, impo an o assess whe he using p oduced biomass
as a denomina o o e s he desi ed in e p e a ion. When applied o
an ibio ic usage and g eenhouse gas emissions, p oduced biomass as a
denomina o can p o ide e iciency me ics, such as he amoun o an-
ibio ics used o he olume o g eenhouse gases emi ed pe kilog am o
pig biomass p oduced. The ad an age o ou app oach, compa ed o
o he exis ing biomass es ima ion me hods, is ha i includes only he
biomass ha has di ec ly con ibu ed o an ibio ic use o g eenhouse gas
emissions wi hin a speci ic li e s age, o e ing a mo e accu a e e lec ion
and compa ison o esou ce use. As a inal ema k, we eel i is impo an
o s ess ha o pu poses ela ed o animal wel a e, such as es ima ing
he wel a e bu den pe li e s age, i is p e e able o u ilize he popula ion
amewo k unde lying he biomass calcula ions, e e ing o indi idual
animals a he han hei mass o p oduc ion e iciency.
5. Concluding ema ks
In conclusion, his s udy p esen s an inno a i e biomass es ima ion
amewo k - he i s o di e en ia e among h ee dis inc pig li e s ages
on a na ional le el - by de ailing he speci ic in lows and ou lows o
indi iduals and calcula ing he annual biomass p oduced du ing each
s age. The amewo k was ini ially applied o he Du ch pig sec o , and
he a ailabili y o equi ed da a was explo ed o h ee po k-p oducing
Eu opean coun ies. As an addi ional illus a ion, we calcula ed changes
in p oduced biomass unde a ious PRRS scena ios. This illus a ion
unde sco es he amewo k’s po en ial in disease bu den es ima es, o -
e ing c ucial insigh s o sa egua ding bo h sec o wel a e and inancial
s abili y. While he amewo k could bene i om u he e inemen
ega ding esou ce use and economic alues, i s cu en i e a ion p o-
ides a obus and unique ounda ion o es ima ing biomass dis-
agg ega ed by pig li e s age. This ounda ion can aid decision-make s in
he ag icul u al and e e ina y sec o , ensu ing he con inued sus ain-
abili y and p ospe i y o he indus y.
CRediT au ho ship con ibu ion s a emen
Ma loes Boe e s: W i ing –o iginal d a , Visualiza ion, Me hod-
ology, Fo mal analysis, Da a cu a ion. Wilma S eene eld: W i ing –
e iew &edi ing, Supe ision, Concep ualiza ion. Bea iz Ga cia-
Mo an e: W i ing – e iew &edi ing, Da a cu a ion. Jona han Rush-
on: W i ing – e iew &edi ing, Supe ision, Concep ualiza ion.
Ge dien an Schaik: W i ing – e iew &edi ing, Supe ision,
Concep ualiza ion.
Decla a ion o Gene a i e AI and AI-assis ed echnologies in he
w i ing p ocess
Du ing he p epa a ion o his wo k he au ho s used Cha GPT 3.4 in
o de o imp o e eadabili y and language. A e using his ool, he
au ho s e iewed and edi ed he con en as needed and ake ull e-
sponsibili y o he con en o he publica ion.
Decla a ion o Compe ing In e es
Ge dien an Schaik is pa ly employed a Royal GD; he o he au ho s
decla e no con lic o in e es .
Acknowledgemen s
This wo k has ecei ed unding om he Eu opean Union’s Ho izon
2020 esea ch and inno a ion p og amme unde g an ag eemen No.
101000494 (DECIDE). We exp ess ou g a i ude o D William Gilbe ,
D Jo˜
ao A onso and D Bea Thomann, o hei hough ul discussions
and aluable sugges ions, which in luenced he concep ualiza ion o he
amewo k. Addi ionally, we ex end ou hanks o Ka lijn Eenink (DVM)
o he expe ise in he Du ch pig sec o , which was aluable in shaping
he me hodology.
Supplemen a y iles
S1. The biomass amewo k, illed in o he Ne he lands.
Appendix A. Suppo ing in o ma ion
Supplemen a y da a associa ed wi h his a icle can be ound in he
online e sion a doi:10.1016/j.p e e med.2024.106383.
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