Weaning is among the most stressful events in a piglet's life, with management strategies significantly affecting welfare outcomes for both sow and piglets.
Weaning stress welfare reflects the mismatch between the biological timeline of piglet development and commercial production pressures. Abruptly separating piglets from their mother at 3-4 weeks removes nutrition, warmth, and social security simultaneously. Management interventions that moderate this stress include pre-weaning familiarisation with solid food, weaning into familiar pen environments, and stable group composition post-weaning. Extending weaning age even modestly has measurable welfare benefits, and some welfare standards now require minimum ages beyond the legal minimum.