Economic and mathematical approaches to the organisation of rational feeding of pigs

Abstract

In the context of increasing demands for food security, production efficiency, and sustainable agricultural development, economic and mathematical approaches to organising rational pig feeding were becoming increasingly relevant as tools for making sound management decisions in the livestock sector. The aim of this article was to develop and substantiate economic and mathematical models and methods for optimising the pig feeding process, taking into account the biological needs of animals, the efficient use of feed resources, and the principles of sustainable development in the pig industry. The study used general and specific methods of economic analysis: monographic, analysis and synthesis, dialectical, statistical, and abstract-logical methods. The results presented an overview of pork production in the world and in Ukraine, particularly for the period 2015-2023. A monitoring of pork prices was conducted for January 2023-March 2025. The main directions for the development of feed production and optimisation of pig feeding were outlined to ensure sustainable development of the industry in large-scale, farm, and household operations. The principles for forming an optimised pig diet under high-performance production conditions were identified. Equations for optimising the diet based on nutrient composition and dry matter content were calculated. The permissible ranges of feed ingredients were determined considering pigs’ requirements for metabolisable energy, crude and digestible protein, amino acids (lysine, methionine + cystine, tryptophan), crude fiber, dry matter, calcium, and phosphorus. Optimisation of the feeding process made it possible to minimise the cost of the diet. For the grower group of pigs, the following feeding composition was recommended: wheat – 0.5 kg, barley – 0.3 kg, triticale – 0.3 kg, soybean meal – 0.481 kg, and Nutrimin premix – 0.068 kg. It was determined that the cost of the daily diet was UAH 16.09, or UAH 9.76 per 1 kg, and the diet was balanced in terms of nutrients and microelements