Early weaning in pig production creates a welfare challenge as piglets are separated from their mothers before natural weaning age would occur, requiring nutritional and environmental strategies to minimize stress and support health.
Early weaning represents one of the most significant welfare challenges in commercial pig production, creating an acute stressor at a developmentally vulnerable period. While production economics drive early weaning, the welfare cost is real and substantial. Strategies including later weaning, improved weaning nutrition, enrichment provision, and careful social grouping can meaningfully reduce this cost without abandoning intensive production systems. Progressive producers are demonstrating that welfare improvement and commercial viability can coexist.