Farm Animal Welfare

Pig Welfare and Pregnant Sow Nutrition

Nutrition management throughout gestation profoundly affects sow welfare, piglet welfare at birth, and lifetime productivity. Evidence-based gestation feeding is a key welfare intervention.

Key Facts

Overfed sows have greater dystocia risk and poorer body condition after peak lactation
Underfed sows produce lighter, more vulnerable piglets and have poorer colostrum quality
Electronic sow feeder systems allow individual gestation nutrition management
Body condition scoring throughout gestation guides feeding adjustments
Sow nutrition affects both immediate welfare and lifetime reproductive performance

Welfare Considerations

Gestation nutrition management is a complex but tractable welfare intervention. Getting nutrition right prevents dystocia, poor colostrum, and metabolic problems that cause significant welfare harm.

What You Can Do

Support farms with verified individual sow nutrition management programmes
Advocate for body condition scoring as a standard welfare monitoring practice
Learn about gestation nutrition management in pig welfare
Choose welfare-certified pork from farms with comprehensive sow welfare protocols