Vaccination against key respiratory pathogens in pigs provides important protection that reduces disease incidence, antibiotic use and welfare impact of respiratory illness.
Respiratory disease vaccination is one of the most cost-effective welfare interventions in pig farming. Vaccines against key pathogens reduce disease incidence, the severity of outbreaks when they do occur, and the need for therapeutic antibiotic use. Integrating vaccination into comprehensive respiratory disease prevention programmes that also address ventilation, stocking density and biosecurity achieves the best welfare outcomes.