Rearing Pigs with Intact Tails—Experiences and Practical Solutions in Sweden
Tail biting is a common issue within commercial pig production. It is mainly an indicator of inadequate housing environment and results in reduced health welfare and production. To reduce the impact of tail biting, pigs are commonly tail docked, without pain relief, within the first week of life. EU...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-10-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/10/812 |
| _version_ | 1818479067306917888 |
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| author | Torun Wallgren Nils Lundeheim Anna Wallenbeck Rebecka Westin Stefan Gunnarsson |
| author_facet | Torun Wallgren Nils Lundeheim Anna Wallenbeck Rebecka Westin Stefan Gunnarsson |
| author_sort | Torun Wallgren |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tail biting is a common issue within commercial pig production. It is mainly an indicator of inadequate housing environment and results in reduced health welfare and production. To reduce the impact of tail biting, pigs are commonly tail docked, without pain relief, within the first week of life. EU Council Directive 2008/120/EC prohibits routine tail docking, but the practice is still widely used in many Member States. Sweden has banned tail docking since 1988 and all pigs have intact tails, yet tail biting is a minor problem. This paper summarises and synthesises experimental findings and practical expertise in production of undocked pigs in Sweden and describes solutions to facilitate a transition to producing pigs with intact tails within intensive pig production in the EU. Swedish pig housing conditions and management differ in many aspects from those in other EU Member States. Swedish experiences show that lower stocking density, provision of sufficient feeding space, no fully slatted flooring, strict maximum levels for noxious gases and regular provision of litter material are crucial for success when rearing pigs with intact tails. To prevent tail biting and to eliminate the need for tail docking, we strongly recommend that EU legislation should more clearly match the biological needs of pigs, as is done in Swedish legislation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T09:56:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c96dc6fd036e426184ebf0d4a62ee4ff |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T09:56:20Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-c96dc6fd036e426184ebf0d4a62ee4ff2022-12-22T01:53:30ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152019-10-0191081210.3390/ani9100812ani9100812Rearing Pigs with Intact Tails—Experiences and Practical Solutions in SwedenTorun Wallgren0Nils Lundeheim1Anna Wallenbeck2Rebecka Westin3Stefan Gunnarsson4Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O.B. 234, S-532 23 Skara, SwedenDepartment of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O.B 7023, S-750 07 Uppsala, SwedenDepartment of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O.B. 234, S-532 23 Skara, SwedenDepartment of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O.B. 234, S-532 23 Skara, SwedenDepartment of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O.B. 234, S-532 23 Skara, SwedenTail biting is a common issue within commercial pig production. It is mainly an indicator of inadequate housing environment and results in reduced health welfare and production. To reduce the impact of tail biting, pigs are commonly tail docked, without pain relief, within the first week of life. EU Council Directive 2008/120/EC prohibits routine tail docking, but the practice is still widely used in many Member States. Sweden has banned tail docking since 1988 and all pigs have intact tails, yet tail biting is a minor problem. This paper summarises and synthesises experimental findings and practical expertise in production of undocked pigs in Sweden and describes solutions to facilitate a transition to producing pigs with intact tails within intensive pig production in the EU. Swedish pig housing conditions and management differ in many aspects from those in other EU Member States. Swedish experiences show that lower stocking density, provision of sufficient feeding space, no fully slatted flooring, strict maximum levels for noxious gases and regular provision of litter material are crucial for success when rearing pigs with intact tails. To prevent tail biting and to eliminate the need for tail docking, we strongly recommend that EU legislation should more clearly match the biological needs of pigs, as is done in Swedish legislation.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/10/812welfareswinetail-dockingtail-biting |
| spellingShingle | Torun Wallgren Nils Lundeheim Anna Wallenbeck Rebecka Westin Stefan Gunnarsson Rearing Pigs with Intact Tails—Experiences and Practical Solutions in Sweden Animals welfare swine tail-docking tail-biting |
| title | Rearing Pigs with Intact Tails—Experiences and Practical Solutions in Sweden |
| title_full | Rearing Pigs with Intact Tails—Experiences and Practical Solutions in Sweden |
| title_fullStr | Rearing Pigs with Intact Tails—Experiences and Practical Solutions in Sweden |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rearing Pigs with Intact Tails—Experiences and Practical Solutions in Sweden |
| title_short | Rearing Pigs with Intact Tails—Experiences and Practical Solutions in Sweden |
| title_sort | rearing pigs with intact tails experiences and practical solutions in sweden |
| topic | welfare swine tail-docking tail-biting |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/10/812 |
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