Commercial sow longevity is both a welfare and economic indicator, with high culling rates reflecting management failures that cause welfare compromise and premature death in breeding sows.
Short sow lifespan in commercial production reflects a system in which breeding animals are used intensively and discarded when productivity declines, rather than managed for long-term welfare and productivity. The high rates of lameness causing premature culling represent preventable suffering. Sows culled for reproductive failure may have been managed in ways that reduced their reproductive capacity. Sow longevity as a welfare indicator draws attention to the chronic management failures that underlie high replacement rates and positions longer lifespans as both an ethical and production goal.