BRINGING THE SUN INTO LIVESTOCK BUILDING

Text by Patick Dupuis

“After air, water and food, light is the most important resource for raising livestock. This is a concept called flow (food, light, oxygen, water),” says guy courcelle, general manager, JPS Électronique.

“Lighting has long been the poor relation of the resources required for raising livestock, but it’s a key element of animal welfare and greatly influences animal performance,” he continues.

This is why Mr. Courcelle talks a lot about “animal comfort lighting.” “Comfort reduces stress. It’s animal light therapy. Proper lighting can destress animals, maximize productivity gains and, of course, save energy,” he says enthusiastically.

A new era in lighting

Working with BMR Agrizone—where a new line of lighting products for livestock buildings is now on sale—JPS Électronique is helping livestock farmers make the right lighting investments based on the desired productivity for both new and existing buildings. “The new lighting standards have become indispensable,” says Mr. Courcelle.

He goes on to say that “the first guideline is to consider both the species and genetics. Lighting allows us to influence animal behaviour. We can use it to program animals, for instance by helping them to live with other animals while facilitating their movements and much more. We can maximize egg laying, improve brooding, increase productivity, reduce end-of-cycle mortality, act on the reproductive cycle by facilitating heat periods, encourage fertility, increase average daily gain, avoid piglet crushing, encourage both rest and digestion, and stimulate appetite. The possibilities are endless and very real.”

“All of these gains translate into better results on the bottom line of the financial statements of farms,” says Mr. Courcelle, who invented and designed Blue Line, which is JPS Électronique’s range of lighting products.

Advantages of DEL lighting with Blue Line

“Blue Line lights are monocoque LED (light-emitting diode) tubes that are IP67 rated, waterproof and dustproof, long lasting, resistant to frequent pressure washing, safe and easy to install. This type of digital lighting is much more precise and versatile than incandescent or fluorescent lighting,” says Mr. Courcelle. “These lights are also easier to install and do not emit frequencies or flicker. Ten years ago, LED lighting was hard to make profitable. That’s no longer the case, and today they are a must-have.”

Since the light required to raise dairy cows, pigs, chickens, or other animals, is not the same, Blue Line lights are adaptable for all types of animals. “They reproduce the full spectrum of the sun’s rays, as they occur in nature: sunrise, daytime, sunset and moonlight. It meets the needs of animals in real time and at the right moment. This means that, even at night, animals should never be in total darkness, which is a major source of stress,” says Mr. Courcelle.

Buying LED lights requires careful consideration. Before you decide to buy lights or change your current ones, think about Blue Line products. They are flexible and versatile, sustainable and cost effective. They will meet the needs of your animals today and those of your animals in the future.

Blue Line DEL lighting products, from JPS Électronique, are sold by your Agrizone (BMR) dealers.

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