Artificial insemination and embryo transfer are standard in commercial pig breeding, offering genetic efficiency but raising welfare questions about the animals involved.
Reproductive technology in pig farming illustrates how welfare and productivity can be both aligned and in tension. AI has reduced the need for intensive boar-on-sow mating, which itself carries injury risk for sows. But the hormonal manipulation, handling stress, and in the case of embryo transfer, surgical intervention required for these technologies impose welfare costs. The more significant welfare concern is downstream: extreme genetic selection, enabled by efficient reproductive technologies, has driven selection for traits like large litter size that impose welfare burdens on sows and piglets. Pigs selected for 20+ piglet litters produce more piglets than they have teats to feed, leading to high neonatal mortality and sow exhaustion. Welfare-conscious breeding programs balance productivity with sustainability and the welfare of both mothers and offspring.