Piglet Neonatal Care and Early Welfare

The first days of a piglet's life are critical for welfare, with high mortality rates and painful procedures common in commercial farming.

Key Facts

Piglet pre-weaning mortality rates in commercial systems range from 10-20%, representing millions of deaths annually
Routine procedures performed without analgesia include tail docking, teeth clipping, and castration
Crushing by the sow is the leading cause of neonatal piglet death, associated with farrowing crate design
Hypothermia is a major welfare concern for piglets, which have minimal body fat and cannot regulate temperature well
Good stockmanship and careful monitoring during the farrowing period dramatically reduces early mortality

Welfare Considerations

The first week of a piglet's life is both the most dangerous and, in commercial farming, often the most painful. Routine mutilations performed without pain relief — tail docking, tooth clipping, castration — cause acute pain at a developmental stage when pain sensitivity is high. High mortality from crushing and hypothermia represents both welfare failure and production loss. Stockmanship training and system design improvements can address both simultaneously.

What You Can Do

Support pork from producers that do not perform routine tail docking or perform it with analgesia
Advocate for mandatory pain relief for all surgical procedures on piglets
Support campaigns for farrowing systems that reduce piglet crushing mortality
Reduce or eliminate pork consumption to decrease demand from low-welfare neonatal practices
Support organizations working on pig welfare standards improvement globally