Gestation in straw
The test we propose this week evaluates your knowledge about the welfare of gestational sows housed in straw.
Page 52 of articles about behaviour-welfare
Australia - $20 Million CRC for High Integrity Australian Pork announced by Federal Minister
The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator the Hon Kim Carr, has announced funding of $100 million for world-class collaborative research and innovation under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres.
New Zealand - Sow crates to be phased out by 2015
Pig gestation stalls (sow crates) will be phased out by December 2015, Agriculture Minister David Carter announced.
Thompson’s tip: Monitor temperature during cold snaps
The recent cold snap is a reminder that winter is coming! Already, our practice is seeing upsurges in coughs and respiratory disease in pigs, probably triggered by fluctuations in temperature, says Paul Thompson, veterinary consultant to pig-breeding company ACMC Ltd.
Satiating properties of diets rich in dietary fibre fed to sows as evaluated by physico-chemical properties, gastric emptying rate and physical activity
The use of ingredients with high DF content in sow diets may reduce the physical activity of the sow.
68 % of the Danish sows are ready for loose operation farming in 2013
Danish breeding pigs are in great demand from farmers in other countries
Germany - Abandonment of piglet castration is approaching
An abandonment of piglet castration is approaching. Specialists believe that rearing the entire population of young boars is the best way to permanently abandon the practice of castrating male piglets without anaesthesia right across the board. That is the main conclusion reached by the expert workshop "Abandonment of piglet castration – status and perspectives" held by the Fed-eral Ministry for Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection together with QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH on 11 November, 2010 in Berlin.
The impact of chronic environmental stressors on growing pigs: stress physiology, production and play behaviour
Commercially farmed animals are frequently housed in conditions that impose a number of concurrent environmental stressors. For pigs housed indoors, elevated levels of mechanical noise, atmospheric ammonia and low light intensities are commonplace. This experiment examined the effects on growing pigs of chronic exposure to combinations of commercially relevant levels of these potential stressors.
European Union - Commission publishes report on the application of the Farm Advisory System
Member States have the obligation to establish a system for advising farmers on land and farm management, the so-called Farm Advisory System (FAS). It is a major component of the 2003 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform and had to be introduced by 2007. The objective of the FAS is to help farmers to become more aware of on-farm processes relating to the environment, food safety and animal health and welfare.
Weaning in the yard
A new animal welfare test designed to test your knowledge about the welfare of piglets weaned on yards.
Australia - Sow stalls gone by 2017
In a world first, the Australian pork industry voted today to pursue the voluntary phasing out of gestation stalls by 2017.
Iowa Pork Industry Center to offer PQA Plus® advisor recertification session
Tthe session will be taught by ISU animal science and veterinary medicine faculty members who are certified PQA Plus® trainers.
Farming systems and environment: Effects of available surface on gaseous emissions from group-housed gestating sows kept on deep litter
In the European Union, the group-housed pregnant sows have to have a minimal legal available area of 2.25 m2/sow. However, it has been observed that an increased space allowance reduces agonistic behaviour and consecutive wounds and thus induces better welfare conditions. But, what about the environmental impacts of this greater available area?
Placid sow answer to European stall ban at EuroTier
By using genes from the Chinese Meishan, over the past 12 years ACMC has developed an F1 hybrid, the AC1, that has an exceptionally placid temperament and is well suited to group systems, without compromising feed conversion, growth rate or lean meat percentage.
Effects of space allocation on growth performance and immune system in weaning pigs
Stress caused by reduced space allocation may disrupt the cellular immune system in piglets and stimulate the releases of cortisol.