Respiratory disease in pigs is among the most significant welfare and productivity challenges in intensive systems. Housing design and management are key determinants of respiratory health.
Respiratory disease causes pigs to experience chronic discomfort — difficulty breathing, persistent coughing, lethargy, and pain from lung inflammation. In intensive systems, multiple respiratory pathogens circulate continuously and most pigs have some degree of lung lesion at slaughter. The welfare response requires systemic improvements: adequate ventilation without draughts, stocking densities that allow proper air movement, clean-out and disinfection between batches, vaccination programmes, and prompt treatment of clinical cases. Housing design that prioritises air quality alongside temperature regulation is a welfare and economic investment that pays dividends in health outcomes.