Pig Mycoplasma and Respiratory Welfare

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is the primary driver of enzootic pneumonia in pigs, causing chronic welfare harm that better management and vaccination can significantly reduce.

Key Facts

Mycoplasma infection affects 30-80% of pigs in intensive systems
Clinical signs include persistent coughing, reduced growth rate, and laboured breathing
Lung lesions at slaughter indicate disease even when clinical signs were absent
Vaccination significantly reduces clinical disease but does not eliminate infection
Multi-site production and AIAO management reduce mycoplasma pressure significantly

Welfare Considerations

Mycoplasma respiratory welfare harm is chronic and largely invisible: pigs coughing persistently in a 2,000-head building represent normal background in many systems, normalising what should be recognised as welfare failure. Sub-clinical lung lesion prevalence at slaughter — often 40-60% of pigs — indicates ongoing welfare compromise below the clinical threshold. The availability of effective vaccines and management approaches (AIAO, multi-site) means that endemic mycoplasma is a preventable welfare failure in facilities that accept its presence as unavoidable.

What You Can Do

Support pig welfare standards requiring respiratory health monitoring
Advocate for vaccination as a welfare standard in pig production
Choose pork from farms with documented respiratory health management
Support research into mycoplasma elimination from breeding herds
Engage with pig industry welfare organisations on respiratory welfare priorities