Moderate Scale of Pig Farming: Implications for Herd Management and Disease Control—Evidence from Heilongjiang Province, China

Moderate-scale farming is an important pathway for promoting the high-quality development of China’s pig industry. Based on survey data from 809 pig farms in Heilongjiang Province in 2024, this study assesses the moderate operating scale of pig farming within the framework of herd management and disease control, focusing on production efficiency, disease prevention and control, and environmental management. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to measure production efficiency, and baseline regression models with operating-scale group dummy variables are constructed to compare operational performance across annual slaughter-volume groups. Compared with the other operating-scale groups, relatively better production efficiency was observed in the 5000–10,000 head group. The 3000–4999 head group shows relatively better disease prevention and control performance, with lower pig mortality, and a greater advantage in controlling manure treatment costs. Overall, the relatively better-performing scale range differs across evaluation dimensions. However, the 3000–4999 head group shows relatively stronger coordination among production organization, disease prevention and control, and environmental management, and may therefore represent a relatively suitable operating-scale range for supporting herd management and disease control in pig farming.