Sow longevity is both a welfare indicator and commercial metric, with short productive lifespans reflecting high culling rates driven by lameness, reproductive failure, and housing inadequacies.
High sow culling rates reflect chronic welfare problems in commercial breeding herds. Sows culled for lameness may have experienced months of untreated or under-treated pain before removal from the herd. Metabolic exhaustion from hyperprolific genetics produces chronically thin sows with compromised immunity and skeletal health. The correlation between good sow longevity and good welfare is strong — herds achieving 5-6 litter average lifespans typically have lower lameness prevalence, better body condition management, and more attentive stockmanship.