Fans for pigs in free-range barns

Livar (Limburgs Klooster-varken) originated in the Netherlands at the Lilbosch trappist abbey in Echt as a result of a collaboration between a group of pig farmers from the Dutch province of Limburg. Since then, they have been working together to produce high-quality meat and to keep pigs under animal-friendly conditions. The concept grew into a collaboration with several farms in the region. All pigs are kept according to the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals' quality mark with a maximum score of 3 stars. This quality mark uses a star system to indicate the animal friendliness level of meat. All Livar pigs keep their tails, have free range, a nesting area made of straw and receive special nutrition. We spoke to Frank de Rond, director of Livar, about the concept and the way in which fans are used in the pig barns.

"Especially in the summer, on hot days, when there is no wind and natural ventilation is not sufficient, we use fans to create airflow."

Livar pigs are currently kept on 10 farms in Limburg. These pigs find their way to high end catering establishments and butchers in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. "People are becoming increasingly aware of meat consumption and nowadays often choose to eat meat of which they know the animals had a good life."

In order to maintain an optimal barn climate for the pigs in the free-range barns, the brand uses both natural and mechanical ventilation techniques. In addition to using the natural airflow in the open barns, fans are being used for support on hot days at almost all locations.

Furthermore, Livar has recently built a new barn in which they use Multifan Panel Fans in combination with inlet valves to blow air into the barn. "Especially in the summer, on hot days, when there is no wind and natural ventilation is not sufficient, we use fans to create airflow."

In combination with the inlet valves, Livar can target the generated air movement on the desired area. “This is important for us in order to control the pigs' defecation behavior. By making the climate around the lying nests of the pigs as attractive as possible, we ensure, among others, that the pigs keep the lying nests clean and only defecate in the designated areas." Livar invested in Multifan Panel Fans for these applications.

About his preference in selecting fans, Frank states that the choice for Multifan was quickly made. “Because of the good experiences with Multifan in the past, we know that they are good fans. We then checked with our installer which type was most suited to be used in combination with the inlet valves.”