Thomas Brunner, a farmer from Austria, has been running his business in Ukraine for almost 20 years. Thomas has 5,000 pigs on his farm, raised without antibiotics. He is trying to promote this philosophy throughout Europe.
“Ukraine, especially the central and southern parts, has a continental climate. These conditions are excellent for livestock farming, particularly pig farming, without antibiotics. Why? Because in Europe, there is limited territory and farms are located close to each other. Therefore, when pigs get sick on one farm, the neighbours automatically give antibiotics for prevention. Ukraine is a big country, and we don’t have this problem here.”
Neither antibiotics nor probiotics are added to the feed nor to the drinking water on Thomas’ farm. Food is selected based on the pH level in the intestine. Each animal receives an individual portion of food, which is adjusted if even the slightest change in its condition is detected.
We ask Thomas how it is possible to tell from a pig’s appearance that it is not receiving antibiotics.
“Look at the skin, it’s shiny. It is fat. That means pigs have enough protein. They have strong muscles, but no swollen bellies.”
The farmer patented this technology and named it the Timoshivka system. More than 40 farms in Switzerland are already successfully farming using this system.
When the full-scale war broke out, the farmer set up a charity to help refugees from Ukraine. Thomas is also a polyglot and speaks 8 languages, and he has a deep interest in classical music and supports the Philharmonic in Dnipro.
The farmer is currently building a 600,000-bushel elevator. The project is supported by USAID. The objective is to increase storage capacity in this region, as it was short before the war. It is even less so now. The elevator will run on sunflower pellets.”
That report was powered by Latifundist Media, with USAID support provided through Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities (AGRO) Activity implemented in Ukraine by Chemonics International. For more information, visit their website or follow them on social media.
