Farm Animals

Pig Liver Scoring at Slaughter Welfare Link

Liver scoring at slaughter provides welfare data linking on-farm parasite burdens and feeding management to individual animal health outcomes.

Key Facts

Liver white spot disease (from Ascaris suum larvae) is recorded at slaughter in many countries
High liver lesion scores indicate heavy roundworm burden and inadequate parasite control
Milk spot livers are a welfare and production indicator routinely recorded in some countries
Feedback loops from slaughter data to farms enable welfare improvement
Danish and Dutch mandatory reporting systems have driven significant welfare improvements

Welfare Considerations

Slaughter liver scoring provides population-level welfare data that is unavailable through on-farm assessment alone. High lesion rates indicate inadequate parasite management causing chronic welfare costs. Feedback of this data to farms drives improvement. Mandatory reporting systems create accountability for on-farm welfare outcomes.

What You Can Do

Support mandatory liver scoring reporting systems in pig slaughter regulations
Advocate for welfare data feedback from abattoirs to farms
Choose pork from certified supply chains with welfare outcome data reporting