Mycotoxins from mold-contaminated feed are a significant but underappreciated welfare threat to pigs, causing chronic illness, reproductive failure, and immune suppression.
Mycotoxin contamination of pig feed causes chronic, diffuse suffering that is often misattributed to other causes. Pigs experiencing deoxynivalenol toxicity show feed aversion, vomiting, and growth failure. The behavioral signs of discomfort from gut irritation — restlessness, reluctance to eat, abnormal postures — indicate ongoing suffering that may persist for weeks or months. Reproductive effects from zearalenone cause physical distress in affected animals. Immune suppression from mycotoxins means affected herds experience higher rates of infectious disease with associated suffering. The challenge is that mycotoxin effects are often subclinical, requiring specific testing to detect rather than being obvious to farm staff.