Dr. John Carr a world livestock consultant, veterinarian, and lecturer believes building pig hotels in China is a good idea. He believes that the future of hog production worldwide will be in buildings and not necessarily on farms with biosecurity issues continuing to mount.  
Dr. Carr also believes that these pig hotels in China and other subsequent locations belong at ports and places with higher populations. Building them in remote and mountainous regions takes away areas that belong to wild animals and requires infrastructure to get to the mountain. In addition, when the world has another three billion people in the next 25 years, it will take a rethinking of how to do agriculture because there aren’t enough land rights.  
He proposes to place them in ports using brownfield sites that are under-used but commercially ready. These spaces include good infrastructure in terms of transportation while the slurry can move through normal channels through infrastructure for human waste in place. 
Access to people especially in China where in ten years it will be nigh impossible because professional people are going to be difficult to get for various reasons one to be away from home for an extended time.  
For Dr. Carr, the costs don’t quite add up because pig profits can’t sustain these high production units over the next 20 years.  
“And we need to pay these buildings off over 10 or 15, 20 years. And so, my building can’t consume all of my potential profit.”  
He emphasizes the wildlife concern and potential carbon concern. There is some energy transfer because the heat will rise through the floors reducing some energy costs. 
When comparing people in apartment blocks and pigs in pig hotels, one pig per square metre and typically one person per 10, 15 square meters, or even 20 square metres creating much more weight on the floors.  
“But with modern metals and things, we can do this where it wasn’t possible before. But if you look at the half-a-mile building in Dubai and what we’re able to do with modern skyscrapers, that’s the technology we are adopting.” 
Dr. Nanfang (Avery) Zeng of the Giastar Agro-pastoral Co., Ltd also in on the discussion, said before the African Swine Fever China had many small backyard family farms. However, certain regions still do include two or three sows or more.  
The growth of the family farm depends on several factors price being the most important because the small family farm needs to make money. If the pork price is very low, they cannot afford it and will not have pigs.

This low price happened after ASF and during the last year from September to October. Because so many just quit pig farming. And when the pork prices are high they come back in because of their flexibility.  
The second reason for family farms is the biosecurity levels. Many small family farms will keep raising pigs even with the presence of ASF while trying to keep it out.  
“But it seems impossible because of the poor biosecurity. And so their production level is very, very low. The large pig companies will become much larger in the future. And we can see the trends and the family farmyards will die away.”
The government still supports the small family farms raising pigs, maybe several pigs in their backyards to help make a living.  
Dr. Carr said the other advantage is these pig hotels are new buildings.  
“We have a big opportunity to build for pigs’ welfare. We can use today’s technology, the worldwide net use of AI and cameras.” 
While not wanting to replace people per se but wanting professional people working on farms, not labourers. I don’t need somebody sweeping the floor when a robot will sweep the floor. 
Dr. Carr cautioned North America to watch China can be a powerhouse of new technologies. Particularly the countries around it. Four or five robots greet him at the Seoul, Korea airport, take his rubbish, and hand him a cup of tea.  
China has 1.5 billion people to feed and go to two, whether she likes it or not. And she’s going to have to feed these people. And then she has a responsibility to the whole of Southeast Asia. 
“North America doesn’t have a future unless she understands this. So the perception of the customer, we have to explain why this is good for pigs.” •
— By Harry Siemens