On farms with fattening pigs , degradation of slatted and solid concrete floors can result in animal injuries and early failure of slat beams . A survey in East and West Flanders was conducted to gauge the extent of this problem , the causes and consequences . Entrusting mixing and placing of the concrete to specialized firms , appeared to increase the life of the floor . However , even concrete slats cast by specialized manufacturers , showed degradation within five years of use on 40% of the farms . No relation could be found between the use of high-pressure cleaning and the speed of attack . The use of cleaners seemed to delay the attack rather than cause degradation . The
feeding method had a major influence on attack . The smaller the distance between water and feed supply , the faster the degradation proceeded . Therefore the use of liquid feed made the problems significantly worse . Almost half of the farmers had already taken measures to protect or repair the floor . The life of coatings appeared to be rather limited . Surface layers with ordinary portland cement and a