Health and welfare of organic pigs in Europe assessed with animal-based parameters

Dippel, Sabine; Leeb, Christine; Bochicchio, Davide; Bonde, Marianne; Dietze, Klaas; Gunnarsson, Stefan; Lindgren, Kristina; Sundrum, Albert; Wiberg, Sofia; Winckler, Christoph; Prunier, Armelle

doi:10.1007/s13165-013-0041-3

Cited by 11 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Five piglets fed the control diet, four piglets fed diet R 20.2, six piglets fed diet T 20.2 and two piglets fed diet T 30.2 were treated, which corresponds to 14, 11, 16 and 5% of the piglets, respectively. A recent study on health and welfare of organic pigs in six European countries found a highly variable prevalence of diarrhea with values between 0 and 100%, but the median prevalence was 0% because groups were scored rather than piglets (Dippel et al, 2013). Weekly gait scoring in experiment 1 and at the end of each replicate in experiment 2 did not reveal any signs of lameness which might have indicated nerve disorders caused by ODAP.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) seeds as a protein source for weaned piglets: Effects of seed treatment and different inclusion rates on animal performance

Baldinger

Hagmüller²,

Minihuber³

et al. 2015

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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Organically produced pork occupies only a small niche in the European meat market, with one of the main reasons being the shortage of locally produced high-quality protein sources. In an effort to promote currently under-utilized protein sources, two feeding trials were conducted with grass pea seeds as feed for weaned piglets. The grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is a hardy grain legume that produces protein-rich seeds, but, as other grain legumes, it contains several anti-nutritive compounds. Apart from trypsin inhibitors and tannins, it also contains the neurotoxin β-N-oxalyl-L-α,β-diaminopropionic acid (ODAP) which may cause nerve damage in farm animals as well as humans. The content of both trypsin inhibitors and ODAP can be greatly reduced by hydrothermal treatment; therefore both raw and hydrothermally treated grass pea seeds were used in the two feeding trials. Diets were fed to 152 and 144 piglets [crosses of (Pietrain × Duroc) × (Landrace × Large White)] respectively, during their rearing phase directly after weaning. In experiment 1, a control diet was compared with two diets containing 10 and 20% raw grass pea seeds, plus one diet with 20% treated grass pea seeds, respectively (as fed basis). In experiment 2, a control diet was compared with one diet containing 20% raw grass pea seeds and two diets containing 20 and 30% treated grass pea seeds, respectively (as fed basis). Grass pea seeds contained 265 and 271 g kg−1 crude protein (as fed basis) in the first and second experiment, respectively, and had an amino acid profile similar to peas (Pisum sativum), including relatively low contents of methionine and cysteine. Hydrothermally treated grass pea seeds were found to be a valuable protein source that was well accepted by piglets. At an inclusion rate of 20–30% in diets, feed intake and daily weight gain of piglets was very similar to that of the control treatment. However, including 20% raw grass pea seeds had a significant negative effect on feed intake in experiment 1 and on daily weight gain in experiment 2. Therefore, hydrothermal treatment of grass pea seeds is recommended prior to feeding to piglets.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) seeds as a protein source for weaned piglets: Effects of seed treatment and different inclusion rates on animal performance

Baldinger

Hagmüller²,

Minihuber³

et al. 2015

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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“…In total, antibiotic treatment was necessary for 13 piglets fed the control diet, 10 piglets fed diet H 10, 12 piglets fed diet D 10 and 13 piglets fed diet D 16, which corresponds to 37, 29, 34 and 37% of the piglets, respectively. In a comprehensive study examining health and welfare of organic pigs in six European countries, the prevalence of diarrhea was found to be highly variable with values between 0 and 100%, but the median prevalence was 0% because groups were scored rather than piglets 41 . A study on 106 conventional French pig farms using medicated creep feed and weaning piglets at 27 days revealed a maximum prevalence of 35% pens affected by diarrhea around 7–9 days post-weaning, which is in accordance to the observations made in the present study 42 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sainfoin seeds in organic diets for weaned piglets—utilizing the protein-rich grains of a long-known forage legume

Baldinger

Hagmüller²,

Minihuber³

et al. 2014

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) is a tanniniferous legume that has been used as non-bloating forage for horses and ruminants for centuries, but so far its protein-rich seeds have not been utilized as a feedstuff for monogastric animals. In Europe, the main protein sources in diets for organic pigs are the grain legumes faba beans (Vicia faba) and peas (Pisum sativum), alongside the expensive high-quality components soybean cake, skimmed milk powder and potato protein. Because of the scarce supply of organic soybean cake and the highly variable yield of peas, alternative and locally produced protein sources are of great interest. As part of the EU Core Organic II research project ICOPP (improved contribution of local feed to support 100% organic feed supply to pigs and poultry), sainfoin seeds have been tested as a protein source for organic weaned piglets. In a feeding trial, a control diet, one diet containing 10% sainfoin seeds with hulls and two diets with 10 and 16% dehulled seeds, respectively (as fed basis) were fed to 137 piglets (crosses of [Pietrain×Duroc]×[Landrace×Large White]) during the 4-week post-weaning phase. The protein-rich components of the control diet were peas and soybean cake, which were partly substituted for sainfoin seeds in the experimental diets. Sainfoin seeds were found to contain 279 g kg−1 crude protein (388 g kg−1 when dehulled, as fed basis) with an amino acid profile suitable for pig feeding. Neither feed intake and body weight gain nor feed conversion ratio differed between treatments. It is concluded that sainfoin seeds can be a valuable protein source in moderate percentages of 10–16% in organic diets for weaned piglets. Where sainfoin can be cultivated easily and the seeds are harvested, using them as feed for piglets can therefore be recommended.

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“…Lameness/leg/foot health Lameness of sows was less prevalent in organic compared to conventional herds (Dippel et al 2014;Knage-Rasmussen et al 2014) and less prevalent in all-yearround and partly outdoor sow housing systems compared to indoor systems (Leeb et al 2019). However, according to Früh et al (2014), all European countries involved in the study (Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK), reported leg problems (i.e.…”

Section: Respiratory Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Metabolic/digestive disorders Thinness or poor body condition of organic sows is a main concern in several European countries (Simoneit et al 2012;Dippel et al 2014;Früh et al 2014). Weissensteiner et al (2018) found that sows with larger litters had lower feed intake and greater weight loss during 1-2 weeks postpartum, when fed diets with high proportion of home-grown ingredients with low protein content.…”

Section: Pig Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Health and welfare in organic livestock production systems—a systematic mapping of current knowledge

et al. 2020

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This review aimed to systematically map and summarize the status of animal health and welfare in organic production. The prevalence of diseases and behavioural effects in organic dairy cow, beef cattle, sheep, pig, laying hen and broiler chicken were discussed in the context of the organic values and current knowledge on animal health and welfare. In total 166 peer-reviewed scientific publications between 2008 and 2020 were included. No strong evidence for neither inferior nor distinctly higher animal welfare in organic compared with conventional production could be supported. The welfare status of organic livestock is in general good in relation to the OIE definition of animal health and welfare. However, organic systems are still facing several challenges related to animal health and the arising of goal conflicts due to management and practical implications. Greater possibilities to perform species-specific behaviours in organic production systems, however, indicate that the organic standards offer a good framework for high animal welfare management. For organic dairy farmers, the main health problems are similar to those of non-organic farms; especially mastitis and lameness need improvement. Parasites, together with mastitis and lamb mortality, are important welfare issues in organic sheep production. Piglet mortality, leg problems, parasite load and increasing respiratory problems are of major relevance in organic pig production. For organic laying hens, major health challenges relate to feather pecking and cannibalism, parasites and possibilities to express species-specific behaviours. For organic broilers, dermatitis of footpads, hocks and breast are reported as main health issues.

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Health and welfare of organic pigs in Europe assessed with animal-based parameters

Cited by 11 publications

References 17 publications

Organic grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) seeds as a protein source for weaned piglets: Effects of seed treatment and different inclusion rates on animal performance

Organic grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) seeds as a protein source for weaned piglets: Effects of seed treatment and different inclusion rates on animal performance

Sainfoin seeds in organic diets for weaned piglets—utilizing the protein-rich grains of a long-known forage legume

Health and welfare in organic livestock production systems—a systematic mapping of current knowledge

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