Commercial pig production weans piglets from their mothers at 21-28 days — far earlier than the natural weaning age of 12-17 weeks. This causes significant welfare impacts on both sows and piglets.
Early weaning represents a fundamental welfare conflict in commercial pig production. Piglets separated from their mothers before the natural weaning age experience acute distress, impaired immune development, and digestive disruption. Sows repeatedly cycling through pregnancy and early weaning experience chronic reproductive stress. Later weaning — at 28 days rather than 21 — allows piglets more time to develop immunological and digestive maturity, reducing mortality and antibiotic requirements. Some systems have moved to even later weaning at 5-6 weeks with improved outcomes. The push for early weaning is primarily economic — enabling faster sow reproductive cycling — and the welfare costs it imposes on both sows and piglets are significant and well-documented.