Pig mortality in commercial farming remains a significant welfare indicator, with preventable deaths reflecting inadequate monitoring, management, and disease control programs.
Pig mortality in farming represents welfare failure - each death typically preceded by illness or injury causing significant suffering. Pre-weaning piglet mortality involves crushing by the sow, starvation from failure to thrive, and disease in immature immune systems. Post-weaning disease causes painful systemic illness in crowded conditions. Tail biting progresses from minor injuries to severe spinal abscesses causing extreme pain. The enormous variation in mortality rates between farms demonstrates that many deaths are preventable through better management. Proactive monitoring that identifies sick or injured animals early, combined with prompt treatment, substantially reduces both mortality and the suffering associated with unaddressed health problems. Mortality rate is one of the most useful welfare indicators on commercial farms.