Advances in Pig Welfare

Advances in Pig Welfare analyzes current topical issues in the key areas of pig welfare assessment and improvement. With coverage of both recent developments and reviews of historical welfare issues, the volume provides a comprehensive survey of the field.

The book is divided into two sections. Part One opens with an overview of main welfare challenges in commercial pig production systems and then reviews pig welfare hot spots from birth to slaughter. Part Two highlights emerging topics in pig welfare, such as pain and health assessment, early socialization and environmental enrichment, pig-human interactions, breeding for welfare, positive pig welfare and pigs as laboratory animals.

This book is an essential part of the wider ranging series Advances in Farm Animal Welfare, with coverage of cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry.

With its expert editor and international team of contributors, Advances in Pig Welfare is a key reference tool for welfare research scientists and students, veterinarians involved in welfare assessment, and indeed anyone with a professional interest in the welfare of pig.

Provides in-depth reviews of emerging topics, research, and applications in pig welfareAnalyzes on-farm assessment of pig welfare, an extremely important marker for the monitoring of real welfare impacts of any changes in husbandry systemsEdited by a leader in the field of pig welfare, with contributing experts from veterinary science, welfare academia, and practitioners in industry

Part One: Pig Welfare Hotspots 1. Overview of commercial pig production systems and their main welfare challenges 2. Sow welfare in the farrowing crate and alternatives. 3. Piglet mortality and morbidity: inevitable or unacceptable? 4. Lifetime consequences of the early physical and social environment of piglets 5. Tail biting 6. Chains as proper enrichment for intensively-farmed pigs? 7. Mitigating hunger in pregnant sows 8. Aggression in group housed sows and fattening pigs 9. Transport of pigs to slaughter and associated handling  10. Slaughter of pigs Part Two: Pig Welfare Emerging Topics 11. Pain in pigs: Characterisation, mechanisms and indicators 12. On-farm and post-mortem health assessment 13. Pig-human interactions: Creating a positive perception of humans to ensure pig welfare 14. Breeding for pig welfare; opportunities and challenges 15. Positive welfare: What does it add to the debate over pig welfare  16. Pigs as laboratory animals