Herd Evaluation

Swine veterinarians now have a proactive role in anticipating problems and preventing disease with a concurrent responsibility to provide care to each pig. Before starting any evaluation of a farm, it is important to understand the objectives and goals of each individual involved in the farm operation. It is critical to ensure that herd examinations are performed in a consistent manner so as to be thorough and efficient and to minimize the opportunity for missing something important. One systematic approach involves the concept of the four circles. The overall objective is to be systematic in the evaluation of an operation to make sure that all relevant information is evaluated when looking after pigs’ health and welfare. Once a site’s evaluation has been performed (four circles) and data has been collected, it is then necessary to interpret all the findings in the context of the veterinarian’s clinical observations.