Farm Animal Welfare

Pig Farrowing Supervision Night Hours Welfare

Night-time farrowing without supervision results in significantly higher crushing mortality rates, representing a major preventable welfare gap.

Key Facts

Around 40-60% of farrowing events occur at night when supervision is typically absent
Piglet crushing mortality during unsupervised nights can be 2-3 times higher than supervised periods
CCTV and automated alert systems extend supervision to night hours without physical presence
Prostaglandin synchronisation to concentrate farrowing within day hours reduces unsupervised births
Night supervision rotas improve outcomes but require significant staffing investment

Welfare Considerations

Night-time farrowing is a significant and often unaddressed welfare gap. Technology solutions including CCTV and automated alert systems provide practical routes to extending supervision coverage without prohibitive staffing costs.

What You Can Do

Advocate for investment in night-time farrowing monitoring technology in welfare certification standards
Support research into alert systems specifically detecting crushed piglet events overnight
Choose pork from farms demonstrating low pre-weaning mortality as a welfare outcome indicator