Thompson’s Tip: Water contamination

In human medicine water contamination is a well-recognised route of disease transmission. In pigs, the importance of the correct flow rates for different classes of stock is well known but the quality of this water is sometimes neglected, says Paul Thompson, veterinary consultant to pig-breeding company ACMC Ltd.

As well as achieving the correct flow rate per minute, the water delivered needs to be palatable and clean. A particular factor that can influence palatability is, for example, the salt content. This can be high in some water from boreholes. Some header tank systems are full of sludge, which is a potential source of heavy bacterial contamination.

Borehole water should be checked annually for its mineral content. The microbial content of the water can be quickly assessed by use of dip slides to give an indication of level of contamination. These agar-coated slides available from your vet can be either touched against a surface or dipped in water before sending off to a lab for culture and analysis for bacteria.