Pig Finisher Welfare: Science of the Finishing Period

Key Welfare Facts

The finishing period represents 70% of a pig's commercial life, making it the most welfare-significant production phase.
Space allowances in finishing pens directly affect aggression rates, injury prevalence, and resting behaviour.
Enrichment provision reduces directed aggression and redirected behaviours that cause injury between animals.
Social stress increases near slaughter as unfamiliar animals are mixed, causing fighting and injury at high rates.
Lairage time before slaughter is a significant welfare challenge requiring temperature control and minimal stress.
Pre-slaughter stunning with CO2 or electrical methods must be effective to prevent return to consciousness.

Welfare Assessment

Finishing pig welfare encompasses both the long production period and the critical pre-slaughter period. Supporting farms with higher space allowances, mandatory enrichment, and documented slaughter welfare protocols drives improvement across the most welfare-significant phase of pig production.

What You Can Do

Choose pork products from farms with documented space allowances above the legal minimum
Support certification schemes requiring enrichment provision throughout the finishing period
Advocate for CCTV requirements in slaughterhouses to monitor stunning effectiveness
Ask retailers about slaughter welfare auditing policies for their pork suppliers