Relationships between pig welfare, productivity and farmer disposition

Abstract

The aim of this study was, firstly, to investigate the connection between on-farm assessed welfare scores and production parameters for sows, and secondly, to examine how farmers perceive the connection between their disposition, animal welfare and productivity. We assessed environmental and management preconditions on animal welfare and interviewed farmers on 30 Finnish farms. We studied the relationship between welfare and production using correlation and regression analyses. The theory of planned behaviour served as an articulation of farmer disposition when studying farmer perceptions. Concerning the production data, better welfare scores from the 'health and stockmanship' category during lactation were correlated with shorter reproduction cycle and fewer stillborn piglets and it also explained some of the variation in the number of piglets per year and the length of the farrowing interval. The farmers agreed that the productivity parameters and the principles of assessing welfare used in this study were relevant. A majority of farmers considered that animal welfare affects productivity and that there are associations between farmer attitudes, animal welfare and productivity. There were no statistical relationships between farmer perceptions and animal welfare; yet on the farms of farmers with positive perceptions of attitudes to animal welfare and productivity there were slightly lower piglet mortality rates and lower stillbirth rates than on the farms with farmers holding less positive views. We conclude that actions to improve animal welfare also have an economic impact as they enhance sow production. Good stockmanship and healthier animals result in more piglets born and a shorter reproduction cycle.

Why are most EU pigs tail docked? Economic and ethical analysis of four pig housing and management scenarios in the light of EU legislation and animal welfare outcomes

“…It is also worth considering that factors other than production economics affect producer decision making. Farmers are conscious of potential conflict between production and animal welfare (Jääskeläinen et al, 2014), thus farmers working with a system which they feel better meets the needs of pigs may enjoy greater job satisfaction, pride and a sense that they are promoting good animal husbandry.…”

Impact of litter size on sow stayability in Swedish commercial piglet producing herds

“…These findings are supported by research of Engblom et al [ 6 ] that also concludes that planned removals are less likely to be linked to impaired health and welfare compared to unplanned reasons. It has also been shown that improved pig health in piglet producing herds has a positive effect on the average number of litters born, the number of stillborn piglets and the number of weaned piglets [ 19 ]. Together with our results this indicates that there may also be an association between litter size and sow health and welfare, which needs to be further investigated.…”

Haltung von Schweinen mit nicht kupierten Schwänzen in konventionellen Betrieben

“…Eine wissenschaftliche Untersuchung dieser Parameter ist jedoch schwierig. Nach den Untersuchungen von Jaaskelainen et al (14) und Kauppinen et al (15) hat die Einstellung der Landwirte gegenüber Tierwohl offensichtlich einen Einfluss auf Produktivitätsparameter in Schweinebeständen. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung wurde durch die Auswahlkriterien der Projektbetriebe, die Schulungen der Landwirte, die Einbeziehung kleiner Versuchsgruppen und die tägliche Bonitur der Tiere sowie die Dokumentation der Befunde durch die Landwirte versucht, eine Tierbeobachtung und Tierbetreuung auf einem hohen, aber praktikablen Niveau zu gewährleisten.…”