The project will address production diseases of pigs and poultry raised in a wide range of EU intensive systems, using both epidemiological and experimental approaches to consider the extent of, and the risk factors associated with diseases, the influence of genotype and its modification by early life experience, and the dynamic influences of the environment on disease. The mechanisms underlying differences in disease susceptibility will be explored at different levels. Improvement strategies for diseases including neo-natal mortality, gut and respiratory disorders, leg and metabolic disorders will be evaluated in farm scale tests, and data from diverse systems used to model whole-chain socioeconomic implications of disease states and their alleviation.