Genetic selection for large litter sizes in commercial pigs has created a welfare crisis for piglets, as sow teat number has not kept pace with litter size increases causing starvation and crushing.
The welfare consequences of extreme hyperprolificacy selection represent one of the clearest cases where commercial breeding optimization has created animal suffering. Piglets born into litters larger than the sow can support face immediate competition for survival — those too small or weak to compete for teats experience starvation and hypothermia. The crushing risk also increases as sows in large-litter systems experience greater metabolic stress and may be less attentive to piglet positioning. The industry is beginning to recognize that selecting for litter size without simultaneously selecting for piglet viability and sow teat number has created a welfare debt that management alone cannot repay. Breeding program reform to balance productivity with neonatal welfare is both ethically necessary and practically achievable.