Piglet mortality before weaning is a major welfare and productivity challenge in commercial pig farming. Addressing its root causes protects millions of animals annually.
Pre-weaning death represents acute suffering for individual piglets dying from crushing, starvation, hypothermia, or disease. The underlying driver of many deaths is the breeding selection for extreme litter sizes that exceed the sow's capacity to nurse all piglets — a welfare problem created by human selection for productivity. Farrowing crates prevent crushing by the sow but severely restrict sow movement and cause chronic welfare harm to the mother. Free-farrowing systems with appropriate nest design and creep areas can reduce crushing without completely confining sows, but require more careful management. Split nursing, supplemental milk, and fostering protocols help address colostrum access for weak and low-birth-weight piglets. Better born-viable genetics that prioritise piglet survival alongside litter size represents a long-term systemic solution.