Selective breeding for hyperprolific sows producing 15+ piglets per litter has created welfare problems including crushing, starvation and weak piglet viability that current production systems struggle to address.
The pursuit of hyperprolific sow genetics represents a case where commercial breeding objectives have outpaced welfare capacity. A sow that produces 18 piglets physically cannot nurse all of them - the genetics have exceeded what natural maternal capacity can support. The welfare consequences are distributed across multiple individuals: piglets that cannot access teats suffer starvation and hypothermia; sows that are perpetually nursing large litters experience metabolic depletion and loss of body condition; and the management interventions required (split suckling, foster sows, artificial feeding) create complex, stressful systems that benefit some piglets while compromising others. Breeding programmes should incorporate maximum functional litter size as a welfare constraint alongside productivity targets.