High reproductive demands on sows in intensive systems lead to premature culling and welfare problems related to metabolic disease, structural unsoundness, and exhaustion. Improving sow longevity benefits welfare and farm economics.
Sows in high-output systems frequently experience reproductive exhaustion, structural breakdown, and metabolic depletion. Extending sow productive lifespans through better management, nutrition, and genetic selection reduces the welfare costs of intensive breeding and improves farm profitability.