dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health is putting immune competency at the center of how the industry evaluates swine performance, arguing that many performance-limiting factors can build quietly before they show up as obvious health problems.

The company positions immune competency as a decisive KPI in modern swine systems, where success depends more on anticipating challenges than reacting once disease pressure becomes visible. It defines the concept as how well pigs are prepared to cope with nutritional, environmental, and health stressors from early life—supporting more consistent performance and potentially reducing the need for corrective interventions later.

Turning immune competency into a measurable KPI

dsm-firmenich says immune competency can only be actively managed if it can be measured. Traditional indicators may miss early immune stress or differences between groups, which is where data-driven diagnostics come in.

It highlights dried blood spot (DBS) sampling as a practical, low-stress method to monitor immune and health markers at scale—turning immune competency into a measurable benchmark for early risk detection and more informed nutritional decisions. The company also points to SciTell™ DBS Analytics as a way to translate blood spot samples into decision-ready insights, helping producers and integrators track immune status, variability, and trends over time and adjust strategies before losses become obvious.

Mycotoxins as a “hidden” driver of immune stress

dsm-firmenich adds that immune pressure rarely happens in isolation and stresses feed-related risks, especially mycotoxins. It says global surveillance continues to show multi-mycotoxin presence in ingredients and finished feeds, with swine particularly sensitive to immune-modulating effects.

The company argues that pairing immune diagnostics with mycotoxin intelligence—referencing its 2025 World Mycotoxin Survey—supports more proactive, targeted decision-making: immune data shows the biological response, while surveillance provides context on nutritional and environmental pressure.

Overall, dsm-firmenich frames this as a move toward precision swine health: measure immune competency reliably, interpret it with real-world risk insights, and act earlier with greater clarity.