Access to clean, adequate drinking water is a fundamental welfare requirement for pigs that is more frequently compromised than commonly assumed in intensive systems.
Water access welfare in pig farming is a hidden deficit that affects subordinate animals who cannot compete effectively for limited drinker access. Adequate water provision requires not just enough drinkers by number but appropriate positioning, flow rate, and pressure for different pig sizes and groups. Dehydration in sows during late pregnancy and lactation compromises both sow and piglet welfare simultaneously. Auditing actual water consumption alongside drinker provision numbers reveals welfare deficits that paper compliance with regulations misses.