Pig Flooring Welfare: Impacts of Concrete Slatted Floors on Health

Slatted concrete flooring in pig housing causes significant welfare problems including foot lesions, joint damage, and injury that accumulate over the production life of housed pigs.

Key Facts

Slatted floors account for the majority of pig housing in intensive systems across the EU and UK
They allow slurry to fall through to collection pits below, reducing labor requirements
Foot lesions are highly prevalent in pigs on slatted concrete, with rates often exceeding 50 percent
Claw wall cracks, sole erosion, and heel erosion are the most common foot problems on slatted floors
Solid floors with bedding significantly reduce foot lesion prevalence and severity

Welfare Considerations

Slatted concrete flooring causes chronic welfare harm to housed pigs. The hard, abrasive surface causes progressive erosion of claw horn, exposing sensitive tissue that becomes infected and painful. The regular arrangement of slats causes awkward foot placement that stresses joints and tendons abnormally, causing joint damage that accumulates over time. Pigs spend increasing time lying down on slatted floors as foot pain makes standing uncomfortable. Young pigs are particularly vulnerable to limb injuries from trapping feet in slat gaps. The absence of bedding on slatted floors deprives pigs of a key welfare resource - a comfortable lying surface - that profoundly affects rest quality.

What You Can Do

Support legislation and schemes requiring solid flooring with bedding or deep straw systems for pigs
Choose pork from welfare-assured farms using alternative flooring systems
Advocate for EU and UK regulations requiring minimum solid floor areas for all housed pigs
Support research into affordable rubber mat systems that can be retrofitted to slatted floors
Engage with supermarkets to require pig suppliers to commit to flooring improvement programs