Farm Animals

Farmed Pig Health Monitoring and Welfare

Systematic health monitoring enables earlier detection of welfare-compromising conditions and more targeted intervention in pig farming.

Key Facts

Daily observation of all pigs is required by law in the UK
Systematic recording of health events allows trend analysis and early intervention
Slaughterhouse feedback on pathology findings provides retrospective health data
Health monitoring data informs herd health planning with the veterinarian
Electronic health monitoring is increasingly available for pig farms

Welfare Considerations

Systematic health monitoring transforms welfare management from reactive to proactive. Identifying trends in respiratory disease, lameness, or tail biting before they become major problems allows preventive intervention. The quality of health monitoring - how systematically it is conducted and recorded - is a direct indicator of welfare management quality on a pig farm.

What You Can Do

Support welfare standards requiring documented daily health observation records
Advocate for health monitoring data sharing with veterinary advisors
Choose pork from farms with comprehensive health monitoring programmes