Prevention-focused pig health management through biosecurity, vaccination, and genetic selection produces better welfare outcomes than relying on treatment after disease establishment.
Preventive welfare management in pig production creates a virtuous cycle: herds with lower disease burden use fewer antibiotics, have lower mortality, show better welfare indicators, and achieve better production outcomes. The investment in biosecurity, vaccination, and health monitoring pays welfare dividends continuously. The challenge is short-term investment cost versus long-term welfare and production benefit — a calculation that farmers with tight margins find difficult. Industry support for health scheme participation and biosecurity infrastructure investment helps overcome these barriers.