Weaning is one of the most welfare-significant transitions in commercial pig production, combining abrupt maternal separation with dietary change and social disruption in piglets as young as three weeks of age.
Early commercial weaning compresses multiple stressors into a very short period for piglets at a developmentally vulnerable age. The welfare consequences are measurable and significant: elevated stress hormones, immune suppression, gut dysfunction, and sustained behavioural distress lasting days to weeks. Later weaning ages consistently improve welfare outcomes and reduce reliance on antibiotic prophylaxis for post-weaning diarrhoea, but create management challenges in continuous production systems. The European Commission's pig welfare revision has proposed minimum weaning ages, reflecting the evidence base for welfare improvement with later weaning. Mixing strategies matter enormously — weaning piglets into familiar litter groups rather than mixed groups dramatically reduces aggression. Post-weaning enrichment and thermal comfort are among the most cost-effective welfare interventions in commercial pig production.