Animal Welfare-friendly Pig Housing Systems

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
   1. Objectives
   2. Learning goals
2. Course content: Animal Welfare-friendly Pig Housing Systems
   1. Consumer awareness
   2. Legislation and enforcement
   3. Inventory of pork production systems
   4. Semi-natural conditions
   5. Selection of six pig production systems
   6. Farrowing sows
   7. Lactating sows and piglets
   8. Fattening pigs
   9. Gestating sows
   10. Boars
   11. Scientific reports
3. Completion
   1. Comments
   2. Self-assessment
   3. Key messages
   4. Further reading
   5. Evaluation

Objectives

This learning resource provides information on pig housing and husbandry systems and enables you to critically evaluate how housing systems (and husbandry issues - there is information on topics including tail biting, castration, etc.) can influence the welfare of pigs.

For employees in industry (5 notional study hours; 1/4 ECTS):

• View the video "Free-Range Pigs".
• View the other videos and read the information about the different production systems.
• Summarize your thoughts on what you have learnt from the videos and comment on the practical implications in your organization. Post your summary on the Comments page.
• Do the self-assessment.
• Read the key messages.

For students in higher education (20 notional study hours; 1 ECTS):

• View the video "Free-Range Pigs".
• View the other videos and read the information about the different production systems.
• Read the report on housing and husbandry systems for boars, sows, and unweaned piglets (focus on Chapter 7: Scientific evidence about the consequences for animal welfare including Hazard Identification and Appendix 3).
• Read the report on housing and husbandry systems for fattening pigs (focus on Chapter 7: Factors affecting pig welfare including Hazard Identification and Appendix 3).
• Read the report on risks associated with tail biting in pigs (focus on Chapter 8: Hazard identification for tail biting).
• Choose a housing system for boars, sows, piglets or pigs. Analyse the consequences of that housing system for animal welfare including hazard identification.
• Write an article to a pig production magazine and post it on the Comments page. The article should in 300 words summarize your opinions on the specific housing system in the light of what you have learnt about the natural behaviour of pigs.
• Produce a video to demonstrate good and/or bad housing of pigs. Write an introductory text for the video (100 words maximum). If you want to share the video please send us the link (training@q-porkchains.org). We might add it to the learning resource!
• Add at least five new definitions in our wiki (on the platform).
• Do the self-assessment.
• Read the key messages.