Electricity Consumption in the Pork Production Chain From the Western Region of Paraná State , Brazil

The development of swine farming resulted in the specialization and transformation of the productive chain with direct impact on the agroindustry. The intensive swine production is representative, with relevant performance in the international scenario, with an expressive increase in volumes and values produced and exported, contributing significantly to the performance of the Brazilian trade balance. This performance is due to the technological and organizational advances of the last decades. The constant changes and advances that swine farming has been undergoing promote the search for new ways of raising pigs. There is a constant incorporation of new technologies and an uninterrupted reorganization in the production systems in the industry, aiming to follow the industrial progress with greater cost reduction and increased profitability. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the consumption of electric energy in the productive process of pig termination in rural properties in the western region of Paraná. The study was conducted in three pig farms, where data were collected on the consumption of electricity in the production, slaughter and processing of pigs. The average specific energy consumption in the production of pigs in the termination stage was 0.0058 kWh kg, accounting for 1% of the process, while at slaughter it was 0.22 kWh kg, responsible for 38.22 kWh kg % of consumption and processing of 0.35 kWh kg, accounting for 60.78%. Thus, results showed that the processing stage consumes the most energy within the pig meat production chain.


Introduction
Brazilian pig farms, like other agribusiness production chains, have grown significantly in recent years.This growth is observed when analyzing the various social and economic indicators, such as participation in the worldwide market, number of direct and indirect jobs, volume of exports, among others.Pork breeding from the past has also evolved in the technique and model of coordination of activities between inputs suppliers, rural producers, agro-industries, wholesale, retail and consumers (Roppa, 2002;Rodrigues et al., 2011).
According to the Paraná Association of Swine Farmers (APS, 2009), swine farming in Paraná is of fundamental importance in the socioeconomic context of the State, generating multiplier effects on income and jobs in all sectors of the economy, intensifying the demand for agricultural inputs and the expansion and modernization of the marketing and agro-industries sectors.
The Panorama of Pig Herd in Paraná (2016) is 7,131,132 heads, representing 17.8% of the national total that is 39,950,320.Paraná has become one of the largest swine herds in Brazil (IBGE, Municipal Livestock Research 2016).In 2017, the State of Paraná slaughtered 9,203,619 heads and produced 826,131,095 (IBGE, Quarterly Survey of Animal Slaughter/Year 2011 to 2017).
In the city of Toledo, in the western region of the State of Paraná, swine farming contributes to economic development by creating jobs and generating income, leveraging other sectors of the economy.As a result of this scenario, there is an increase in the consumption of agricultural inputs, as well as in the expansion and modernization of the processing and marketing segments.In smallholdings, it is a predominant activity, responsible for the significant employment of family labor, making possible an important source of income and social stability in the countryside, positively reflecting on the urban environment (Roesler & Cesconeto, 2003).
According to the State Secretariat for Agriculture and Food Supply (SSAFS) and the Department of Rural Economy (DRE) (2016), the participation of regional pig production in the period from 2011 to 2014 was centered in the city of Toledo, representing 44.7% of the Gross Value of Production (GVP).While the regional center of Cascavel corresponds to 16.4%, Ponta Grossa represents 12.9% and Francisco Beltrão, 6.2%.Pig farming accounts for 6.2% of the gross value of the production from Paraná, corresponding to R$ 4.4 billion.Compared to 2013, pig farming increased its representation in the gross value of production by 1.1 percentage points, however, the gross value of production increased by 24.4%.There are about 30,000 commercial producers in Paraná and 105,000 occasional producers, that is, those that produce for subsistence.The swine farming influences the productive chains of corn, soybean and of genetic advances in the animal species, aiming at its strengthening.
In Brazil, the pork production chain has one of the best economic performances in the international scenario, with a significant increase in volumes and values 2produced and exported.It is tied to the technological and organizational advances of the last decades (Velarde, & Dalmau, 2018).The southern region is the main producer and processor of pork, and the State of Paraná is the 3rd in the national ranking.In Paraná, the producers work in the integrated or cooperative system, via contracts with the meat processing industries and have a technified swine industry.Production is focused on supplying the domestic market as well as exporting (Filho et al, 2005).
The Brazilian Association of Pig Farmers (ABCS, 2017) stated that in the first four months of 2017, 198 thousand tons of fresh pork were exported, beating the historical record.Brazil is responsible for generating 1 million direct and indirect jobs and for the production of 3.7 million tons of meat per year, one of the reasons why pig farming is gaining ground in the country's economic scenario (ABIPECS, 2016).
The southern region of the country has the largest expression in pork production, accounting for 60% of the technified headquarters located in Brazil.The Southeast, with a population of 381,000 households, is the second largest producer region.However, due to the conditions associated to the proximity of grain production areas, water abundance and favorable climate, the production of the central-west region has increased significantly, and in the next few years, it is expected to surpass the southeastern region (Santos et al., 2016).
Considering this scenario, the study of the energy used in agricultural systems, their flows, distribution and conversion, constitute an important instrument for the evaluation of the sustainability of these systems, especially considering the possible crises in the energy sector.This procedure allows the determination of the processes, materials and equipment of higher energy consumption, indicating economical options (Teixeira et al., 2005;Ramírez, Patel, & Blok, 2006;Lee & Chang, 2007;Mobtaker et al., 2010;Shahamat et al., 2013).
The objective of this study was to evaluate the specific energy consumption in the production, slaughter and processing of pigs in the western region of Paraná, in Brazil, considering, during breeding, the termination stage, period in which the animal remains until reaching the ideal weight of approximately 25 kg before being taken to slaughter.
In property 2, the area of the shed was 2430 m 2 and installed capacity for 2000 pigs, divided into 80 bays, with capacity for 25 animals.
In property 3, the area of the shed was 3000 m 2 and installed capacity for 2500 pigs, divided into 100 bays, with capacity for 25 animals.In the three properties the shed was built in masonry, covered with ceramic tiles on a wooden structure.
The slaughterhouse was located in Santa Terezinha de Itaipu, Paraná.The slaughterhouse was built in masonry with an area of 10.000 m 2 (100 m × 100 m) and a roof made of corrugated fiber cement tiles.On average, 80 pigs and 100 cattle were slaughtered on a daily basis.The average monthly slaughter was 1509 pigs, totaling 135,810 kg of meat.
The pork processing industry for sausage production was located in Céu Azul, Paraná, at the geographical coordinates of latitude 24º57′21″ S, longitude 53º27′19″ W and elevation 781 m.The industry area was 80.000 m 2 (800 m × 100 m), with a right foot of 2 m, cover of clay tiles, featuring side walls with 75 cm height, with lining and side curtains.

Characteristics Evaluated in Properties
For the evaluation of the specific energy consumption in the production, slaughtering and processing of pigs, the electricity bills and monthly production information of each place were used, provided by the managers of the establishments.Based on the information collected, a general analysis of the energy consumption (kWh kg -1 ) in the pork production chain in the western region of Paraná in Brazil was carried out.
With the data of electric energy consumption of the properties, worksheets corresponding to the consumption of electric energy were elaborated.From the total consumption of electric energy, the average daily consumption of electricity (in kWh) was calculated.
The three pig farms evaluated developed a system of production of termination, which consisted of the phase after day care until reaching slaughter weight, which was approximately 110 days of life.The residence time of the pigs in the farms was from 110 to 120 days.

Evaluation of the Electricity Consumption of Pig Farms
Table 1 presents the values of the average consumption of electricity for the production of pigs in each rural property.Note.Standard Deviation (SD); Variation Coefficient (VC).
The average specific energy consumption per kilogram of pork in the pig termination process at properties 1, 2 and 3 were 0.0080, 0.0054 and 0.0040 kWh, respectively (Figure 1).Grando et al. (2013), also observed that the average specific consumption of electricity in the termination phase was 0.0053 kWh kg -1 of meat produced, when they evaluated the energy consumption in a pig farms with 900 animals, in the municipality of Palotina-PR.While, Souza et al. (2009) observed an average consumption of 0.0054 kWh/kg of energy required, in a production system with 500 pigs. jas.ccsenet.
For the processing industry, the average specific electricity consumption was 0.35±0.05kWh kg -1 .Energy consumption corresponded to the illumination of the facilities and the equipment required for the production of sausages, such as: meat chopper, meat mixer, filling machine, cold rooms, vacuum packer, freezer chamber and electronic scale.The freezing chamber was the one that consumed the most energy.The freezing chamber and the cold room are on 24 hours a day for 30 days of the month.
According to Ramirez et al. (2006), the specific energy consumption related to the meat production process was 1,625 MJ ton -1 (0.45 kWh kg -1 ), a value close to that found in the present study.Zorzela (2013), in his work on the economic and technical feasibility study for the implantation of a sausage industry in Santa Maria -RS, analyzed the consumption and the cost with electric energy for the equipment needed for the production of sausages.The results were for an industry with capacity for 35,000 to 40,000 kg month -1 and consumption and cost with the illumination of the facilities was not included.The energy consumption found by the author was 0.20 kWh kg -1 .For calculations it was considered that the freezing chamber and the cold room would be turned on 24 hours a day during the 30 days of the month and the other equipment would operate at most 8 hours a day during the 21 working days of the month.
According to Vanni (1998), coefficient of variation greater than 35% indicates that the series is heterogeneous, and the mean has little meaning.Therefore, it was observed that for all the coefficients of variation evaluated there was high experimental precision and that the data series was homogeneous.Also, according to the classification proposed by Warrick and Nielsen (1980), it can be concluded that the values found in the study are considered low C.V. (< 12%) and average C.V. (12 to 24%).

Evaluation of the Share of Electricity Cost and Consumption in the Pork Chain in the Western Region of Paraná
With the data obtained in Tables 1, 2 and 3, the specific consumption of electricity (kWh/kg) for the pork chain in the western region of Paraná was calculated (Table 4).

Table 1 .
Average electricity consumption in the three rural properties

Table 3 .
Average electricity consumption of the pork processing industry for sausage production in the western region of Paraná-Brazil

Table 4 .
Average specific energy consumption for the pork production chain