Pig Farming

Pig Welfare and Neonatal Iron

Iron deficiency anaemia in neonatal piglets is preventable through routine injectable iron supplementation in housed systems.

Key Facts

Piglets are born with minimal iron stores providing only 50mg against a 7-10mg daily requirement
Sow milk provides less than 1mg daily iron, insufficient for the 200mg needed in first week
Iron-deficient piglets develop anaemia, fatigue, and increased disease susceptibility by 2-3 weeks
Injectable iron dextran at 2-3 days of age provides 150-200mg preventing anaemia
Soil access in outdoor systems provides adequate iron through natural rooting behaviour

Welfare Considerations

Iron deficiency anaemia causes chronic fatigue, weakness, and immune compromise in affected piglets during their most vulnerable developmental period. The condition is entirely preventable through a single low-cost iron injection in the first days of life. Its continued occurrence in some housed systems represents an avoidable welfare failure. The welfare case for routine iron supplementation in all housed piglet systems is straightforward and uncontroversial.

What You Can Do

Support pig welfare standards requiring iron supplementation for housed piglets
Advocate for iron injection to be a mandatory welfare requirement in intensive farrowing systems
Choose pork from farms with documented neonatal health management programmes