Lameness is one of the most significant welfare problems in commercial pig production, affecting mobility, social participation, and access to resources in ways that compound other welfare challenges.
Pig lameness causes chronic pain that affects a sow's ability to compete for food, engage in social behaviour, and care for her litter. A lame sow in a group housing system is particularly vulnerable: reduced mobility means she may be unable to reach feeders or escape aggression from pen mates. Lameness scoring training for stockpeople, prompt treatment of identified cases, and floor surface improvement are the most practical welfare interventions. Outcome-based auditing that includes lameness prevalence as a key metric drives farms to identify and address the conditions that cause lameness rather than waiting for individual animals to become severely affected.