A new use has been found for Paneltim the plastic panel normally used for pig-pen divisions, according to Suffolk-based Quality Equipment. A local engineering company has successfully employed the material to protect external electrical cables from the weather.
For various reasons the wiring could not be incorporated within the building but the Paneltim – which is strong, lightweight, and weather-proof proved to provide an ideal solution. Using their special Paneltim welding equipment, QE made up a seamless 1200mm x 1500mm x 400mm deep box-like enclosure that fitted neatly on the side of the building.
“The alternative would have been to use timber which could have cost more and required maintenance,” said QE Director Graham Baker. “We think this could be an application on many pig farms where, for health and other reasons, it may be beneficial to access the electrical equipment without going into the piggery.
I suppose the pig industry is different from any other agricultural sector in as much as there must have been more entrants to farming starting with a few pigs than anything else. That situation is still true today, and there’s no doubt that bed and breakfast pigs on a secure contract is the growth area in 039pig production.
Quality Equipment is celebrating its half-century this year. It was in 1965 that its founder, Glyn Baker, decided to set up as an agricultural engineer, initially repairing machinery and tractors, then specialising in pig equipment, establishing what was to become one of Britain’s best known and largest companies in this field.
Straw-based housing systems that are simple to manage remain in demand by newcomers to pig finishing and those looking to update their facilities
Norfolk farmer Chris Green believes in keeping things simple, and that applies to his pig housing as well as his system of management. He’s recently put up two new finishing buildings, which he runs with his son, Geoffrey, on his seven-acre Three Gates Farm, at Great Moulton. They replaced three houses already there when he moved to the farm 15 years ago.
