MSD Animal Health took advantage of the union of the Poultry and Pig business units to include Joo Calado as director of this new and unique division. Calado, who has a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Lisbon and a postgraduate degree in Management from the Catholic School of Business and Economics in Lisbon, began his professional career at MSD Animal Health Portugal in 2009, making role as Technical Manager, Marketing and Sales Rep. for pigs. In 2016, he was selected for the GMAP program (General Manager Acceleration Program) that led him to perform various roles at MSD Salud Humana in Germany, Spain and the US, to later join the Animal Health Ventures area, managing technology investments in the Poultry business. In 2020, Calado assumed responsibility as Global Regional Marketing Director Swine for MSD Animal Health in the EURAM region.
What are the priorities in this new professional phase?
At MSD Animal Health, the science of healthier animals (The Science of Healthier Animals) is our work guide. Healthier animals mean a sustainable food supply and protection for people from animal-borne diseases.
As a leading biopharmaceutical company and technology solutions, we are shaping the future of animal health and welfare. We are pioneers in science and technology driven solutions. We aim to exceed the expectations of our clients and demonstrate our responsibility to animals and society by working in a method A Health.
Therefore, from the new Poultry and Pig Unit of MSD Animal Health, among our priorities this year is to strengthen the value and competitiveness of our product portfolio, strengthen the differential and personalized services aimed at to the needs of our clients, as well. as our new proposals based on technological solutions. All that will continue to lead the poultry and pig market, to be a reference laboratory, to stand in innovation and to be chosen as a current and future partner of veterinarians and livestock farmers.
From your point of view, what challenges and opportunities does pork production present?
The world’s population is expected to rise to 9 billion people in 2050. According to the perspective, a 70% increase in animal protein is needed to feed the world’s population in the middle of this century.
In this context, Spain is the leader of the pork sector at the European level and a global reference thanks to the quality and food safety standards of the European Union, which ensure the welfare of animals, the safety and quality of food made and the sustainability of the sector. The Spanish pig farming sector is highly professional and well positioned worldwide.
However, there are challenges to be faced. For example, make responsible use of antibiotics and use them as little as possible and as much as necessary. But it will also optimize the use of important resources for environmental sustainability, such as water and land. Other challenges will be biosecurity and epidemiological control of diseases, continuing to improve animal welfare and responding to new consumer trends that are more interested in food safety and the traceability of the products they use. .
The Spanish pig sector must continue to optimize production efficiency and to be able to rely on MSD Animal Health and our biopharmaceutical and technological innovations. MSD Animal Health continues to make very important investments in the development of new products that help solve the main health challenges facing the pig sector.
How can MSD Animal Health help ensure pig production in the future?
Our main pillars are innovation in the development of products and devices, as well as the continuous training of professionals in the sector to help them improve the health and profits of pig production companies. Our products provide benefits and advantages in terms of effectiveness and ease of use. They have been developed with a vision of the future to meet the needs of an increasingly globalized and continuously evolving sector.
We have a wide range of drugs and vaccines that cover the most common and harmful pathogens that affect pigs. We are also leaders in pig reproduction, with products to optimize reproduction management.
For the past 20 years, the IDAL device-free intradermal vaccination system has provided farmers with a world-class, high-tech answer to swine vaccination, and its continued use and evolution reflects its impact on the swine industry. pig.
IDAL’s proven technology eliminates the traditional needle and syringe improving animal welfare by reducing stress and pain during vaccination. It also reduces the iatrogenic transmission of pathogens (PRRS) and avoids the possible risk of muscle tissue damage, since the vaccine is placed on the skin. On the other hand, it prevents abscesses created after the wrong practice of vaccination in the case of using products applied intramuscularly, providing greater safety to workers by avoiding possible accidents in the use of needles and avoiding possible needle residues in animal meat, providing greater food security.
What is the current situation in the global pork sector, until reaching the national sector?
The pork sector is facing various challenges, both globally and locally. This will highlight the health challenges, with highly pathogenic strains of PRRS and ASF, the various regulations to reduce emissions, reduce the use of antibiotics and animal welfare, and finally the retention of qualified that job. All these challenges are creating periods of uncertainty in the sector. As the world population increases, the demand for high quality pork will also increase. Spain is in a unique position to feed the world.
Spain has high quality professionals in the sector, with a vision for the future, working to produce more and better pork for the whole world. The future will continue to present challenges. No, I doubt that Spain will strengthen its position of leadership in pork production in Europe and the world.
1FAO, 2011. World Livestock 2011 Livestock in food security.
Can you tell us about any projects you have started or are considering with MSD AH within this division?
At MSD Animal Health we are adding a digital swine traceability solution to our portfolio. This is LeeO, an application for farmers, animal health professionals and processors that tracks individual pig data from birth through their life cycle. Through ear tags, LeeO records all the key events in the pig’s life cycle, thus connecting all stages of the production cycle.
For the farmer, this is an indispensable application that optimizes and simplifies the life cycle of each pig or litter and creates more value per pig. For animal health professionals, it allows processes to be measured with greater precision, optimizing genetic processes, feed and drugs. And for processors, it guarantees the best quality meat and tracks the origin of the meat with great precision.
As a recommendation, what basic aspects should be paid attention to by farmers and veterinarians in the different stages of pig production (reproduction phase, weaning phase and fattening phase)?
Health control is essential to have healthier animals, more efficient production and use less natural resources. Currently, the control of intestinal health is a critical point in productive optimization, both in the stages of weaning and finishing. Available tools allow greater control and greater commitment to prevention. A healthier gut allows for better use of feed, which represents the main cost of production in the pig sector.
On the other hand, data management and the development of new technologies are essential for the evolution of the sector. The collection of data and the use of Artificial Intelligence to automate the interpretation of this data are essential for the sector to face the future challenges of tracking, maintaining and constantly improving productivity.
