Farm Animal Welfare

Pig Wean Age Scientific Evidence and Policy

Scientific evidence on optimal weaning age for pig welfare has informed policy development across Europe with ongoing debates.

Key Facts

EU minimum weaning age of 28 days was set based on scientific welfare advice
Evidence shows immune system maturity and stress response are substantially better at 28 vs 21 days
Some countries including Switzerland require 35-day minimum weaning on welfare grounds
Commercial pressure to wean earlier to maximise sow productivity conflicts with welfare evidence
Post-weaning disease burden is inversely related to weaning age across commercial production systems

Welfare Considerations

The scientific evidence for welfare benefits of later weaning is robust. The policy challenge is aligning commercial incentives with welfare science. Countries that have raised minimum weaning ages have generally not seen the predicted productivity catastrophe that industry feared.

What You Can Do

Support welfare organisations advocating for later minimum weaning ages in pig farming
Engage with consultations on pig welfare legislation and cite weaning age evidence
Choose pork products from higher-welfare certification schemes specifying later weaning ages