Farm Animal Welfare

Pig Biosecurity and Welfare: Protecting Health at Farm Level

Biosecurity measures that prevent disease introduction protect pig welfare by preventing the suffering associated with infectious disease outbreaks.

Key Facts

African Swine Fever has spread globally causing devastating welfare and economic impacts
Basic biosecurity including vehicle disinfection and visitor control prevents most disease introductions
Foot and mouth disease outbreaks require mass culling with major welfare implications
Disease-free herds require fewer antibiotics creating welfare and resistance benefits
Staff training in biosecurity protocols is essential for implementation consistency

Welfare Considerations

Good biosecurity is fundamentally a welfare intervention: preventing disease prevents suffering. The welfare consequences of biosecurity failures are severe — infectious disease outbreaks cause mass suffering and often mass culling. Basic biosecurity measures are relatively inexpensive and highly effective at preventing disease introduction. Making the welfare case for biosecurity alongside the economic case increases farmer motivation for consistent implementation.

What You Can Do

Support research and advocacy on pig biosecurity as a welfare protection
Choose pork from farms with documented biosecurity protocols
Advocate for biosecurity requirements to be part of pig welfare standards
Donate to organizations providing biosecurity training and support to pig farmers