Research: Animal welfare in pig production requires multiple simultaneous measures

Isolated measures are not sufficient if animal welfare in conventional pig production is to be improved. This is shown by results from the EU project mEATquality, in which researchers have examined the effects of, among other things, space, enrichment material, and feed composition. The topic of pig production has also been central in the ongoing debate ahead of the parliamentary election on Tuesday.

According to postdoc Mathilde Coutant from the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Aarhus University, isolated measures can have both positive and negative consequences.

“If you really want to see improved welfare, pigs need much more space. But that cannot stand alone. You need to consider space, enrichment material, and feed composition together to achieve a real positive effect for the pigs,” she says.

The project included 812 finishing pigs distributed across 60 pens, where three different measures were tested: increased space, enrichment material, and the allocation of roughage.

The results show that increased space had the most significant positive effect. A tripling of the area per pig led to a clear reduction in ear and tail biting. At the same time, the pens became less soiled with urine and feces. In pens with the least space, soiling occurred in nearly 60 percent of cases, compared to 40 percent with double space and 25 percent with triple space.

Increased space also improved the pigs’ access to feed. In pens with limited space, other pigs could block access to the feeders up to 75 percent of the time. With more space, access became easier, but a new problem emerged: a higher incidence of gastric ulcers.

According to Mathilde Coutant, a possible explanation is that the pigs ate more when access to feed improved. The feed used was finely ground, which can increase stomach acidity and thus the risk of gastric ulcers.

However, the study showed that roughage had a positive effect. Pens where pigs were given roughage with a high fiber content had fewer cases of gastric ulcers.

Overall, the results indicate that improvements in animal welfare require a combination of measures rather than isolated changes.

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