Swine news - Management

Top priority welfare objectives: farrowing pens for loose-housed nursing sows, intact tails, an end to castration, a higher rate of piglet survival.

These new, stronger regulations include both prescriptive and outcome-based requirements that emphasize and improve the health and wellbeing of the animals during the entire transportation process.

The Farm Sustainability Tool for Nutrients (FaST) aims to facilitate a sustainable use of fertilisers for all farmers in the EU.

After an important drop in 2010, piglet mortality rose again until reaching 13.6% in 2016.

More unannounced and risk-based checks and tougher penalties for offenders. Minimise transport time and transport carcasses rather than live animals. Better enforcement of existing rules, with the help of new technology.

The Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil launched, last December, an online Good Pig Production Practices Handbook.

With the aim of reducing piglet tail docking, the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark has decided to toughen the regulations regarding this matter.

The rapporteur Mr Jørn Dohrmann (ECR, DA) presented his draft report on the implementation of Regulation 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport within and outside the EU. The rapporteur concludes that the overall degree of implementation has been insufficient to improve animal welfare during transport.

The approval of isofluorane is an important step to fulfil the legal requirement of avoiding pain when castrating piglets.

The SENASICA has launched the “Authorised Responsible Veterinarian” course.

The European Commission is organising a two day meeting from 27 to 28 November 2018, sharing valuable insights from top EU experts on progress with rearing pigs with intact tails and thus improving their welfare.

The increase in fines to pig farms has made the Minister announce an increase in controls in 2019.

The Great Coalition in Berlin has given an answer to the pig producers' concerns and wants to postpone the ban on piglet castration without anaesthetics.

Some 1,000 farmers showed their unrest due to the situation in the sector before the seat of the Conference of Ministers of Agriculture.

A series of factsheets in all EU languages designed to help workers in small slaughterhaouses and farmers to better understand and apply the EU legisltation on the protection of animales at the time of killing.

The pig farm operators in the canton of Vaud must fulfil new conditions if they want to obtain financial support from the canton.

Carbon dioxide gas shortages may affect the supply of meat and meat products to UK consumers as it is widely used in the meat processing industry.

The EU's top court has found Germany guilty of failing to combat high levels of nitrate in groundwater.

It will provide technical support & assistance to EU countries to carry out official controls on animal welfare.

The Commission has adopted a report on the impact of animal welfare international activities on the competitiveness of European livestock producers in a globalised world.

A new chapter regarding the welfare of animals in production systems was adopted for pigs.

The approval by the Council of the text of the Regulation allows existing and potential organic producers to plan with confidence and certainty on the basis of new rules.