Production parameters and pig production cost: temporal evolution 2010-2014.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of the cost of production and the relative weight of the different production parameters is very important in pig farming. The goals of the present work were 1) to describe reliable reference values for production parameters and pig production cost from 2010 to 2014, 2) to describe their temporal evolution and 3) to determine the influence of the pig company size on them. Between 61 and 107 pig production companies from Spain were included in this study from 2010 to 2014. These companies sent data on feed consumption, number of pig produced, expenses and census every month. Sip consultors SL standardized collected data and calculate cost and production parameters to obtain values comparables between the different pig production companies. The collected data each month were merged to obtain a yearly average value taking into account the pig production flow each month. A suitable statistical analysis was carried out to tackle the goals. RESULTS: The production performance has been continuously improving in the piglet production and fattening phase from 2010 to 2014. Thus, the number of piglets by sow and year will increase 0.5 pigs by year and the total feed conversion rate will decrease approximately 0.03 kg feed/kg gain by year in the future if the same tendency continues. However, feed price has been steadily increasing from 2010 to 2012 and decreasing afterwards and the total cost per kilogram produced has followed a similar pattern. This result highlights the relevance of the feed price in the final cost in spite of continuous improvement in production performance across years. Finally, pig company size affected most of the production parameters studied. Thus, the best technical parameters were obtained for companies with less than 5000 sows. However, the opposite tendency is observed for feed price where the highest value was observed for the smallest companies. CONCLUSIONS: Pig production parameters have generally improved in the last five years but this improvement did not directly imply a reduction in pig production cost due to the high feed prices during the period 2010-2013.

[Prevalence of mobile phone use while driving vehicles]. / Prevalencia del uso de teléfonos móviles durante la conducción de vehículos.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of mobile telephone use while driving vehicles in the city of Lleida (Spain). METHODS: A random sample of 1536 cars passing through six intersections regulated by traffic lights in Lleida were selected (three with urban traffic and three with interurban traffic). Cyclists, motorcyclists and driving school cars were excluded. The variables studied were mobile telephone use, age, (18-40; 41-60; >61), sex, the presence of passengers, type of intersection (urban traffic/interurban traffic), day of the week (working day/weekend or holiday) and hour of the day (rush hour/non-rush hour). The prevalence of mobile telephone use was calculated in percentages with a 95% CI. The relationship among the dependent variable (mobile telephone use) and the other independent variables was studied using odds radios (OR) and 95% CI. RESULTS: A total of 1536 direct observations were made and mobile telephone use was detected in 50 drivers. The prevalence was 3.3 (95% CI, 2.4-4.3). The prevalence was higher in men (OR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.0-5.7), in drivers aged more than 60 years old (OR = 2.2; 95% CI, 0.5-8,4) and in those aged 18-40 years old (OR =1.5; 95% CI, 0.8-3.0), in unaccompanied drivers (OR = 3.0; 95% CI, 1.5-6.3), in urban intersections (OR = 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2-5.9), on workdays (OR = 2.0; 95% CI, 0.9-4.4) and at the rush hour (OR =1.4; 95% CI, 0.8-2.4). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of mobile telephone use while driving vehicles can be considered high, because of the increase in car accidents. The profile of drivers using mobile telephones corresponds to men aged 18-40 years or more than 61 years, in urban intersections, without passengers, during workdays and at the rush hour. We recommend the implementation of measures to decrease the use of mobile telephones while driving.

Prevalencia del uso de teléfonos móviles durante la conducción de vehículos / Prevalence of mobile phone use while driving vehicles

Objetivo: El objetivo del estudio fue estimar la prevalencia del uso de teléfono móvil durante la conducción de vehículos en la ciudad de Lleida. Métodos: Se seleccionó una muestra aleatoria de 1.536 automóviles en 6 cruces regulados por semáforos de la ciudad de Lleida (3 con tráfico urbano y 3 con tráfico interurbano).Se excluyeron ciclistas, motoristas y automóviles de autoescuelas. Las variables estudiadas fueron uso de teléfono móvil, sexo, edad (18-40; 41-60; > 61 años), ir acompañado en el vehículo, tipo de cruce (tráfico urbano/tráfico interurbano), día de la semana (laborable/festivo) y hora del día (punta/no punta).Se calculó la prevalencia del uso de teléfono móvil en porcentajes con un intervalo de confianza (IC) del 95 per cent. La relación de la variable dependiente (uso de teléfono móvil) con el resto de variables independientes se estudió con la odds ratio (OR) y con IC del 95 per cent. Resultados: Se realizaron 1.536 observaciones directas y se detectó uso de teléfono móvil en 50 conductores. La prevalencia fue del 3,3 per cent (IC del 95 per cent, 2,4-4,3). Esta prevalencia fue superior en los varones (OR = 2,2; IC del 95 per cent, 1,0-5,7) en los mayores de 60 años (OR = 2,2; IC del 95 per cent, 0,5-8,4) y en el grupo de 18-40 años (OR = 1,5; IC del 95 per cent, 0,8-3,0), en conductores sin acompañante (OR = 3,0; IC del 95 per cent, 1,56,3), en cruces urbanos (OR = 2,7; IC del 95 per cent, 1,2-5,9), en días laborables (OR = 2,0; IC del 95 per cent, 0,9-4,4) y en horas punta (OR = 1,4; IC del 95 per cent, 0,8-2,4). Conclusiones: La prevalencia del uso de teléfono móvil durante la conducción se considera elevada por el incremento del riesgo de accidentes. El perfil de los usuarios se corresponde con varones de 18 a 40 años o mayores de 61, en circuitos urbanos, sin acompañante, en días laborables y horas punta. Se recomienda tomar medidas para reducir el uso de teléfono móvil durante la conducción (AU)