Guest in Ireland: The Irish Pig Health Society Symposium 2025

On 8 April 2025, the Irish pig industry came together at Curragh Racecourse in County Kildare. We attended the symposium together with our partner NUEVO. The annual symposium of the Irish Pig Health Society (IPHS) is one of Ireland's most important industry gatherings, bringing together farmers, veterinarians, researchers, and consultants in one place. Under the theme "Pigs, People and Pathogens", this year's event focused on three topics affecting sow farmers across Europe: farrowing management, animal health, and the question of how to find, lead, and motivate good staff. We attended the symposium together with our partner NUEVO.

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High-Level Professional Exchange

The programme offered a well-balanced mix of practice and science. Alongside expert presentations on farrowing management and the health challenges of recent years, staff management also featured prominently on the agenda - an area that is often underestimated in pig farming but plays a decisive role in an operation's success. A panel discussion with Irish pig farmers rounded off the programme and provided fascinating insights into the day-to-day realities of local operations.

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Looking Beyond Borders

Events like this abroad are particularly valuable for my work. Irish pig farming is structured differently from German pig farming - and yet the core questions are remarkably similar: how do I keep my herd healthy? How do I organise the farrowing barn so that both animals and staff benefit? And how do I make my operation economically stable? Exchanges with Irish farm managers, consultants, and experts consistently show that there is much to learn from one another when you're willing to look beyond your own country's borders.

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Fresh Perspectives for Consulting

Many impressions from Kildare feed directly into my daily work - whether on farrowing management, animal health questions, or the organisation of workflows in the barn. Because that is exactly my aim: consulting that isn't based on yesterday's knowledge, but that makes the best ideas from across Europe accessible for my clients' operations. The evening's traditional close - a shared meal with hog roast - offered plenty of opportunity for personal conversations and new connections.