Westmill Products, which operates a 600 sow piggery near Young in south west slopes region of NSW, has achieved some astonishing results since installing a Grander System.

Production Manager David Cooke said that three months after the Technology was introduced still births and mortality rates in pre-weaning pigs dropped to well below the accepted industry standard of 12%. “Westmill has been astonished to get rates as low as the destock/restock situation,” he said.

“We have achieved a figure as low as 6% which is almost in the unbelievable category. We don’t understand why it works this way but we do know that water has been a limiting factor in the segregated early weaning system we used in the production cycle.”

Mr. Cooke said the increased production had created a headache for Westmill because it put pressure on finding accommodation for the extra stock.

Ian Pollard, son of former Pork Council Australia president Ron Pollard, who manages the piggery, said the Grander System provided even more benefits. “We have been able to reduce the amount of chemicals used in cleaning of the piggery and also the amount of bacteria injected into the treatment ponds,” he said.

“It’s a great plus for the environment when you can stop using chemicals, apart from the fact that it saves the business money. The other great benefit is the System doesn’t require any running costs when installed.

Ian said whilst many people had a great problem accepting that the Grander System could not be fully explained in pure scientific terms he was finally persuaded to purchase the System because of the odour problem associated with many piggeries.

“I live right on the job, 100 metres from the piggery, and as there’s an odour problem I thought if the System works it would make my family’s lifestyle a lot better,” he said. “It has done that – much to the joy of my family – and the quality of the water is very pleasant to drink, as some of the stockmen in the piggery have testified.

Another interesting aside is that Ron Pollard’s wife Fay has found that by keeping a jar of the treated water capped in the refrigerator, fruit and vegetables keep fresher longer.

Mrs. Pollard said there were many ways this helped save money for the family. “There are less trips to town to get fresh fruit and vegetables and that is a big saving on fuel and time in my very busy day,” she said.

“Many times I have run out of lettuce or other salad vegetables and I have been forced to make a special trip to buy more supplies, but now I can buy more with confidence, knowing they will stay fresh. It doesn’t worry me that I don’t understand the process but the fact it saves time spent on shopping is a great plus.”