Pig Weaning Stress and Welfare | Animal Welfare Hub

Early weaning of piglets is standard practice in commercial pig farming but causes significant welfare problems for both sow and piglets that deserve greater industry attention.

Key Facts

Commercial pigs are typically weaned at 21-28 days of age, compared to 12-17 weeks for wild pigs
Post-weaning diarrhoea is the leading cause of piglet mortality in commercial systems and is stress-related
Piglets separated from the sow show elevated cortisol, vocalisation, and stereotypic nosing behaviours
Sows at weaning are acutely food-deprived and show signs of physiological stress for several days
Later weaning at 28 versus 21 days significantly reduces post-weaning mortality and behavioural stress

Welfare Considerations

Early weaning disrupts a prolonged natural process of gradual dietary transition and social learning that in wild pigs spans months. The abrupt separation is acutely stressful for both sow and piglets and predisposes piglets to post-weaning diarrhoea through stress-induced immune suppression and gut dysbiosis. Industry pressure towards ever-earlier weaning to reduce non-productive sow days conflicts directly with welfare evidence. Even modest extensions of weaning age from 21 to 28 days produce measurable welfare improvements. Higher-welfare systems such as free farrowing allow sow-initiated weaning with far better welfare outcomes for both parties.

What You Can Do

Choose pork products from farms using free farrowing or welfare-friendly farrowing systems
Support pig welfare campaigns that advocate for minimum weaning age standards
Engage retailers in discussions about weaning age standards in their pork supply chains
Advocate for regulatory minimum weaning ages to be raised from current commercial norms
Fund research into alternative weaning management strategies that reduce stress while remaining commercially viable