Farm Animal Welfare

Pig Welfare and Acute Disease Recognition

Rapid recognition of acute disease in pigs is critical for welfare and biosecurity. Farmers and stockpersons trained in disease recognition reduce treatment delays and improve outcomes.

Key Facts

Post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome, PRRS and swine fever require rapid response
Pigs mask signs of illness as a predator avoidance behaviour, making detection challenging
Daily behavioural observation by trained staff identifies sick pigs before clinical deterioration
Grimace scale adaptations for pigs enable pain detection in acutely ill animals
Biosecurity planning reduces introduction risk and enables faster containment response

Welfare Considerations

Delay in recognising and treating acute disease is a major source of preventable pig suffering. Stockperson training in disease recognition and welfare assessment is a high-impact, low-cost intervention.

What You Can Do

Advocate for stockperson training in acute disease recognition in pig welfare certification
Support development and validation of pig pain assessment tools for farm use
Choose welfare-certified pork from farms with documented health monitoring protocols