The National Pig Centre supports agri-tech businesses and industry partners to develop, test and validate innovations in both indoor and outdoor pig production systems at commercial scale.
As the UK’s only facility with both indoor and outdoor research herds on one site, the Centre enables innovators to trial technologies and compare performance across production environments under real-world conditions. This helps businesses generate independent evidence, refine products and accelerate adoption across the pig sector.
The facility supports commercial-scale trials in areas including:
- Precision nutrition and feeding systems from farrow to finish
- Housing, welfare and management technologies
- Indoor versus outdoor production systems
- Conventional and loose farrowing systems
- Water monitoring, treatment and preference technologies
Innovators also benefit from advanced infrastructure including 24/7 CCTV monitoring for behaviour and welfare assessment, flexible pen configurations for trial design, laboratory and facilities, ultrasound imaging capabilities and on-site collaboration space.
Research and commercial projects at the Centre focus on improving animal welfare, productivity and profitability through better sow performance, piglet survival, feed efficiency, health and precision management.
Based at the University of Leeds, the National Pig Centre also connects businesses with expertise across animal science, environmental science, food systems and engineering, supporting the development of scalable solutions for the future of livestock production.
In collaboration with:
This Capability is based at a facility owned by the University of Leeds.
It facilitates collaboration across disciplines, including the environment, food science and security, biological science and physical sciences.
