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Animal welfare assessment and Labelling

Welfare quality through the piglet perspective

By November 9th, 2022November 22nd, 2022No Comments

Document type: technical article published in Pig Progress

Author: Samaneh Azarpajouh

 

Preview: Good housing and good health are 2 of the main principles of welfare quality through the piglet perspective.
In recent years, animal products consumers demand higher welfare standards for piglets. Piglet welfare definitions vary depending on factors such as cultural, scientific, religious, and political background. It is assessed using various approaches with an emphasis on measurements such as the feelings-based approach, natural living, and the 5 freedoms. The Welfare Quality Protocol uses physiological, health and behavioural criteria to assess the welfare of piglets.
Good housing
Good housing is one of the main principles to assess piglet welfare. It evolves around 2 criteria: comfort around resting and thermal comfort.
Comfort around resting
Comfort around resting is evaluated by manure on the body in piglets, which is an animal-based measure. Manure on the body is scored in both individual and group levels. [...]Thermal comfort
Thermal comfort is evaluated by 2 animal-based measures in piglets: panting and huddling.
Panting is defined as rapid breathing in short gasps through the mouth. A respiratory rate of more than 55 breaths per minute in piglets is considered as panting. Panting is scored in piglets in group level [...] The definition of huddling is when a piglet is lying with more than half of its body in contact with another piglet while they have more space available to them than they are occupying. Huddling is scored in group level [...]Good health
Good health is another main principle to assess piglet welfare. This also evolves around 2 criteria: absence of injury, and absence of disease.
Absence of injury is assessed by lameness, an animal-based measure. This is the inability to use one or more limbs in a normal manner. Lameness is scored in group level [...]Absence of disease is evaluated by coughing, sneezing, pumping, rectal prolapse, and splay leg.
Piglets must be observed for a period of 5 minutes, during which the number of coughs and sneezes are recorded in group level. Pumping is defined as labored breathing when it is easy to see the chest rising and falling with each breath. Pumping is scored in group level [...] A rectal prolapse is when internal tissue extrudes from the rectum and it is scored in group level [...]. Splay leg causes slight or partial paralysis of the hind limbs. This results in the inability to stand with the hind limbs being splayed apart. Splay leg is scored in group level.

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From the Pig Progress website