Pig Farming Facts about pig farming in Australia

Production systems

Pig farmers in Australia use a range of different housing systems. These include:

• Indoor intensive systems (including single stalls and group housing in pens)
• Semi-indoor extensive systems (groups on deep litter, usually used for growing pigs)
• Outdoor systems (free-range in paddocks with huts for shelter)

The welfare of pigs is important to pig farmers as it affects both the productivity of their animals and the profitability of their farm. However, there are some current practices in intensive pig production that are detrimental to the welfare of pigs. The confinement of breeding sows in small individual sow stalls and farrowing crates for much (and sometimes all) of their breeding lives is a major concern to the RSPCA. The RSPCA also believes that the housing of pigs without access to suitable bedding or foraging materials is also detrimental to their welfare.

Pig behaviour

Pigs are highly intelligent, social animals that naturally live in small stable groups with strong bonds between individuals. They have a complex range of behaviours and needs. Pigs kept outdoors (free-range) can spend many hours a day exploring their environment, food-seeking and eating. Indoor-housed pigs tend to spend a short time eating and have little opportunity for exploratory behaviour.

Pigs have dominance hierarchies in their social groups (also known as a ‘pecking order’) and often one sow is dominant over the others in the group. In confined and barren spaces, this dominance behaviour can sometimes lead to aggression between sows. This can be overcome by providing pigs with opportunities to forage and explore their surroundings and move away from each other when necessary.

What do pigs need?

All pigs need the following:

• Easy access to sufficient nutritious food and clean water
• Adequate shelter to protect them from extremes of climate and temperature
• Opportunities to display natural patterns of behaviour
• Gentle handling by trained stockpersons
• Protection from injury and disease
• Rapid diagnosis and treatment of any injury or disease
• Freedom to be able to stand, stretch, lie down and move around
• Social (visual and physical) contact with other pigs

Good management practices

One of the most important factors affecting the welfare of livestock is the way they are managed and handled. This applies to all types of housing systems, intensive or free-range: bad management will lead to poor welfare and vice versa. Farmers need to ensure that they have properly trained staff, reliable management systems, adequate supplies of nutritious feed and good quality water, and support/back-up for when things break down. Well-trained and experienced stockpersons are essential to ensure pig welfare as pigs are extremely sensitive to the attitudes and practices of the people around them.

Pigs need to be checked at least daily by a trained stockperson to make sure they are healthy and fit. In some situations, such as when temperatures are high or during farrowing, pigs need to be checked more often.

The condition score of a pig is used as a measure of its nutrition, health and welfare. The model code states that pigs should have a body score of 2.5 or above. Pigs with a score of less than 2.5 must be immediately treated.

Adult pigs need a relatively stable temperature, ideally between 18-24°C. This is one reason why pig farming is restricted to areas of Australia that have a suitably temperate climate. If pigs get too cold they tend to huddle together to stay warm. If they get too hot they need to be cooled down with water sprays or in a mud wallow. Newborn piglets are especially vulnerable to cold and need to be kept at temperatures around 30-35°C.

Pigs also need natural or artificial light on an everyday basis. The new code sets a minimum standard of 9 hours of light per day for all pigs (the current code does not include a minimum light period). This change is welcomed by RSPCA Australia and will ensure that the pigs grow well, have a close to natural day/night cycle, and are able to be inspected easily.

Pigs need to be fed in a way that makes sure each pig is able to access food – strategies to encourage this include access to feeding stalls, spreading food over a large area for free-range pigs.