European Union – FVO: 264 audits are planned for the 2011 programme
264 audits are planned for the 2011 programme, corresponding to roughly 4,800 auditor days on the ground, travel time excluded.
Page 52 of articles about behaviour-welfare
Group gestation with dry feed
What level of welfare needs to be applied in the case of sows housed in groups, and fed dry feed?
Weaning in a shed
The current test is about weaning in sheds, with curtain separators in the nest.
Physiology and behavior of pigs before and after castration: effects of two topical anesthetics
The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of two topical anesthetics to alleviate the pain caused by castration in piglets as measured by physiological and behavior indices of stress.
United Kingdom - Real welfare indicators for pigs
BPEX and the University of Bristol are leading a major research project to develop a system of assessing pig welfare using welfare outcomes as indicators. Along with the current welfare ‘inputs’, such as stocking density and pen enrichment, producers will be able to demonstrate welfare from the pig’s perspective.
Effect of injection tool on incidence of head and neck abscesses at slaughter
The objective of the present study was to test the effect of injection device (conventional syringe and needle versus needle-free injection device [NFID]) on the incidence of head and neck abscesses at slaughter.
European Union - Voluntary end to the surgical castration of piglets by 2018
The European Commission welcomes the announcement made earlier this week that several main actors in the pig meat chain have agreed on a plan to voluntarily end the surgical castration of pigs in Europe by 1 January 2018.
Gestation in straw
The test we propose this week evaluates your knowledge about the welfare of gestational sows housed in straw.
Australia - $20 Million CRC for High Integrity Australian Pork announced by Federal Minister
The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator the Hon Kim Carr, has announced funding of $100 million for world-class collaborative research and innovation under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres.
Pig Adopts Dogs
A pig in Greece has adopted 4 puppies.
New Zealand - Sow crates to be phased out by 2015
Pig gestation stalls (sow crates) will be phased out by December 2015, Agriculture Minister David Carter announced.
Thompson’s tip: Monitor temperature during cold snaps
The recent cold snap is a reminder that winter is coming! Already, our practice is seeing upsurges in coughs and respiratory disease in pigs, probably triggered by fluctuations in temperature, says Paul Thompson, veterinary consultant to pig-breeding company ACMC Ltd.
Satiating properties of diets rich in dietary fibre fed to sows as evaluated by physico-chemical properties, gastric emptying rate and physical activity
The use of ingredients with high DF content in sow diets may reduce the physical activity of the sow.
68 % of the Danish sows are ready for loose operation farming in 2013
Danish breeding pigs are in great demand from farmers in other countries
Germany - Abandonment of piglet castration is approaching
An abandonment of piglet castration is approaching. Specialists believe that rearing the entire population of young boars is the best way to permanently abandon the practice of castrating male piglets without anaesthesia right across the board. That is the main conclusion reached by the expert workshop "Abandonment of piglet castration – status and perspectives" held by the Fed-eral Ministry for Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection together with QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH on 11 November, 2010 in Berlin.
The impact of chronic environmental stressors on growing pigs: stress physiology, production and play behaviour
Commercially farmed animals are frequently housed in conditions that impose a number of concurrent environmental stressors. For pigs housed indoors, elevated levels of mechanical noise, atmospheric ammonia and low light intensities are commonplace. This experiment examined the effects on growing pigs of chronic exposure to combinations of commercially relevant levels of these potential stressors.