Commercial pigs are weaned far earlier than natural weaning age, with significant welfare consequences. Understanding the evidence supports advocacy for extended nursing periods.
Commercial weaning at 21 to 28 days represents a welfare compromise driven primarily by production efficiency considerations, as earlier weaning allows sows to cycle back to pregnancy sooner and increases lifetime productivity. The welfare cost is significant: early-weaned piglets experience immune vulnerability, separation distress, and the development of stereotypic behaviours at much higher rates than naturally weaned animals. Extended weaning beyond the regulatory minimum where facilities allow would deliver welfare benefits for both sows and piglets. The economic tension between welfare-optimal weaning ages and production efficiency represents a classic welfare-production trade-off that certification standards and consumer expectations can influence by creating market incentives for higher-welfare weaning practices.