Early weaning of piglets from their mothers — typically at 3-4 weeks in commercial systems — causes welfare harm that later weaning dramatically reduces.
Early weaning in commercial pig production creates a welfare burden for piglets that is entirely driven by production economics. At 3 weeks, piglets are neurologically and immunologically immature for the transition to dry feed and group housing without their mother. The result is predictable welfare stress: belly-nosing (redirected suckling on pen-mates), aggression, gastrointestinal upset, and immune vulnerability. Later weaning at 5-6 weeks allows more complete development and significantly reduces these stress indicators. The welfare case for later weaning is strong; the commercial pressure for early weaning is strong. This represents a genuine welfare-production tradeoff that deserves explicit policy attention.