Commercial pig farming typically weans piglets at 3-4 weeks, far earlier than natural weaning. The welfare implications of early weaning are significant and reform is possible.
Early weaning imposes acute welfare costs on both piglets and sows through abrupt social and nutritional disruption. The physiological and behavioural evidence of distress from early weaning is substantial: elevated cortisol, increased aggression, belly-nosing stereotypy, and immunological compromise are all documented consequences. The minimum EU weaning age of 21 days reflects an economic compromise rather than a welfare-based standard; welfare science consistently supports later weaning. Higher-welfare systems that provide extended weaning periods demonstrate that the economic pressures can be managed through different production models. Consumer demand for higher-welfare pork from systems that wean later creates the market conditions for industry change.