Pig gut health is a welfare priority affecting immunity, nutrient absorption, and susceptibility to disease throughout the production cycle.
Poor gut health causes direct welfare costs through disease, diarrhoea, and reduced appetite, and indirect costs through compromised immune function. The post-weaning transition is the highest-risk period, when piglets must adapt their gut microbiome from milk-based to solid-feed fermentation. Nutritional strategies that support gut health during this transition reduce welfare costs without relying on therapeutic-dose zinc or antibiotics.