Weaning is one of the most stressful transitions in a commercial pig's life, with significant welfare implications for both sow and piglet.
Weaning stress in pigs is a compound welfare event — abrupt separation from the mother, sudden dietary change from milk to solid feed, and social mixing with unfamiliar pigs all occur simultaneously. The acute distress is measurable and significant; the ongoing effects include suppressed immune function, increased diarrhoea rates, and growth setbacks that extend welfare impact well beyond the initial separation. Welfare-positive weaning practice minimises the number of stressors occurring simultaneously: using creep feed to pre-expose piglets to solid food, maintaining stable litter groups at weaning rather than mixing, and extending weaning age where system design allows. These changes reduce acute distress and improve subsequent health and welfare.