Farm Animal Welfare

Pig Respiratory Disease Control

Respiratory disease in pigs is a major welfare and production challenge requiring integrated prevention and treatment strategies.

Key Facts

PRRS, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, and App are among the most economically significant respiratory pathogens
Respiratory disease causes fever, coughing, dyspnea, and chronic ill-thrift in affected pigs
Vaccination programs significantly reduce disease incidence when biosecurity is also in place
Batch management reduces mixing stress and disease transmission between age groups
Early detection through mortality monitoring and clinical scoring allows rapid intervention

Welfare Considerations

Respiratory disease causes significant and widespread suffering in pig populations. Integrated control combining vaccination, biosecurity, early detection, and treatment is far more humane than relying on reactive antibiotic treatment of established disease outbreaks.

What You Can Do

Support pig farms with proactive respiratory disease prevention programs
Advocate for respiratory disease monitoring as a welfare standard in pig farming
Choose pork from farms demonstrating low respiratory disease incidence