by Eric Munn
PIG FARMERS in Wirral have adopted a novel way of helping poorly animals. By attaching nipple drinkers to Wheelie bins, the farmers can get medicine to the animals that need it rather than pouring the drugs into the communal water supply.
The animals at the farm live in close quarters to each other and infections can spread quickly through the herd.
The Wheelie bins have capacities ranging from 100 to 240 litres, allowing four to eight nipples to be fitted depending on the number of ill pigs that have to be treated.
JSR Farms' intensive pig breeding unit in Puddington is one of the biggest in the country, with up to 15,000 pigs. Since introducing the Wheelie bins the farmers say they have been able to reduce the amount of medication given to the pigs by 25 per cent.
Tim Goodyear, head of the team that invented the Wheelie bin medicator, said: "It has been well publicised that farmers can use too much antibiotics and with this the need to medicate a whole room is avoided."
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