Sow Gestation Housing

Transcription

1 Sow Gestation Housing Sherrie Niekamp Director, Swine Welfare National Pork Board 1

2 Outline Overview of gestation housing Where we are today Research Regulation Marketplace What is to come Research Regulation Marketplace 2

3 Sow Housing Farrowing = 4-5 weeks Breeding and Implantation Return to estrus = 3-5 days post-weaning Implantation = 4-5 weeks post-breeding Gestation = 115 days U.S. Breeding Herd 5.8 million pigs 8.9% of the pigs 3

4 Individual Housing 4

5 Both Sides of the Coin Advantages Individual feed intake Reduce competition Safety of the worker Minimize aggression and injury Space asset utilization Disadvantages (real and perceived) Restriction of movement Limited social interaction Sufficient individual space for all sows Public perception is negative 5

6 Group Housing - Options Abound 6 72 variations!!

7 Disadvantages of Groups 7

8 Where We Are - Research Checkoff funded research Over $1.2 million since extensive literature reviews 8

9 The Welfare of Intensively Kept Pigs, EU Doc XXIV, 1997 The advantages for welfare of the confinement of sows in stalls over group-housing of sows are as follows; since pigs are not mixed, fighting with associated stress and injuries is prevented, each sow is certain to have the full ration of food available to her, sows can all feed at the same time, care-taking is made easier and signs of morbidity, such as feed refusals or vulval discharge, are easy to detect and can then be treated appropriately. 9

10 Barnett et al., 2001 it is the design of the housing system that is important to welfare rather than the housing system per se. both individual and group housing can meet the welfare requirements of pigs. However, while public perceptions may result in difficulties with the concept of confinement housing, this will vary in different cultures. The issue of public perception should not be confused with welfare; In fact, the focus on housing systems may have been to the detriment of recognizing the relative importance of another feature of the pig s environment, the stockperson. 10

11 McGlone et al., 2004 In conclusion, although individual studies found significant housing system effects, subjected to the overall evidence from adequately designed studies meta-analyses revealed that gestation stalls or wellmanaged pens generally produced similar states of welfare for pregnant gilts or sows in terms of physiology, behavior, performance, and health. 11

12 Rhodes et al., 2005 Considering all factors, all sow housing systems in current use have advantages and disadvantages for animal welfare. Because the advantages and disadvantages of housing systems are qualitatively different, there is no simple or objective way to rank systems for overall welfare. In such cases, science can identify problems and find solutions but cannot calculate and compare overall welfare in very different systems. 12

13 AVMA Policy Statement No one system is clearly better than others under all conditions and according to all criteria of animal welfare. Sow housing systems should: Minimize aggression and competition among sows; Protect sows from detrimental effects associated with environmental extremes, particularly temperature extremes; Reduce exposure to hazards that result in injuries, pain, or disease; Provide every animal with daily access to appropriate food and water; Facilitate observation of individual sow appetite, respiratory rate, urination and defecation, and reproductive status by caregivers; and Allow sows to express most normal patterns of behavior. To address animal welfare in the long term, advantages of current housing systems should be retained while making improvements to overcome problems identified. 13

14 Pork Board Position on Sow Housing "The National Pork Board builds its animal care and wellbeing programs on this foundation: What is best for the pig? The board also relies on the best scientific research available, and the best scientific research now available indicates there are several types of production systems that can be good for pigs. Those systems include open pens, gestation stalls and open pastures. Regardless of the system, what really matters is the individual care given to each pig. 14

15 Where We Are - Regulation State Year Enacted Mode of Enactment What is Regulated Compliance Date Penalty for Noncompliance Change in Breeding Inventory FL 2002 Ballot initiative Classic language except for 7d prior to farrowing 2008 Class 1 misdemeanor 5,000 AZ 2006 OR 2007 CA 2007 CO 2008 ME 2009 MI OH 2009 Ballot initiative Legislative Bill Ballot initiative Negotiated legislation Legislative Bill Negotiated legislation Ballot initiative Classic language except for 7d prior to farrowing 12/31/2012 Class 1 misdemeanor 4,000 Confinement longer than 12h in 24h period except for 7d prior to farrowing 1/1/2012 Class A violation 4,000 Classic language except for 7d prior to farrowing 1/1/2015 Misdemeanor 13,000 Classic language except for 12d prior to farrowing 1/1/2018 Class 2 misdemeanor 5,000 Classic language except for 7d prior to farrowing 1/1/2011 Class D crime Classic language except for 7d prior to farrowing 2019 Civil action Development of an Livestock Care Standards Board 2010

16 Where We Are - Marketplace Production companies 16 Murphy-Brown Maple Leaf Cargill Others? Retail and foodservice companies Harris Teeter Burger King Quiznos Others

17 What is to Come - Research NPB research philosophy and priorities Evaluate elements that optimize a housing system type USDA AFRI $4.0 million specifically for poultry and swine 17

18 What is to Come - Regulation Federal Bill Ohio ballot initiative Gestation stalls, euthanasia, and downed cattle State Initiatives Standards Boards IN, KY, OK, WV, ID and VT Benefits and pitfalls 18

19 What is to Come - Marketplace Economics and implementation Current state of the industry Industry losses will range between $2.7 and $3.07 billion.» Time period for transition» Permanent productivity losses Customers continue to ask their suppliers about product sourcing Connecting farmers with the customers 19

20 Questions? Sherrie Niekamp