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Improving health and welfare of pigs - A handbook for organic pig farmers
Problem
Organic pig producers face the major challenge to produce pig meat of high quality and at a moderate price based on high animal health and welfare standards. To meet this challenge, farmers cannot rely on organic housing and production regulations solely, as these do not inevitably result in a good animal health and welfare status of the pigs.
Solution
The handbook summarizes the expertise of farmers, consultants, scientists and technical literature for maintaining the health of pigs. The recommendations are intended to support farmers and consultants in the development of an optimal pig husbandry.
Description
As part of the CoreOrganic II project ProPig, researchers and advisors assessed animal health, welfare and environmental impact on 74 organic pig farms across eight European countries and in different housing systems, including outdoor, indoor and partly outdoor systems. Based on these assessments, improvement strategies were developed together with pig farmers and compiled in this handbook. The recommendations are intended to guide farmers and advisors in developing pig management, housing, and feeding towards optimal animal health and welfare.