Emma M. Baxter

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on improving the welfare of gilts and sows. The first chapter reviews current knowledge on the factors affecting the health and welfare of gilts and sows during pregnancy and parturition. The chapter considers the influence of group housing, stress and social interaction on the development of production diseases, such as post-partum dysgalactia syndrome and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. The second chapter provides a detailed overview of the factors affecting the welfare of pigs during breeding and gestation. The chapter considers the influence of modern pig production on animal behaviour and welfare and reviews to what extent the inability to form matriarchal groupings contributes to demonstrations of aggressive behaviour. The third chapter concentrates on the managerial and environmental interventions that attempt to reconcile the behavioural and physiological needs of both the sow and piglets to optimise their welfare during farrowing and lactation. The final chapter describes the welfare issues associated with individual confinement systems and examines the nature and significance of stereotyped behaviour in gestating sows. The chapter also addresses the issue of hunger in the pregnant sow and drivers to adopt group housing systems for pregnant sows.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on improving piglet welfare. The first chapter reviews the main welfare challenges faced during farrowing and lactation, including the occurrence of painful husbandry procedures, such as tooth resection, tail docking and castration. The chapter also highlights various mitigation strategies that can be implemented to optimise the welfare of both sows and piglets in the farrowing environment. The second chapter addresses some of the main welfare concerns that can arise during the weaning and nursery stage as a result of separation between piglet and sow and exposure to a new environment. The chapter also summarises the most important fields of environmental, nutritional and social stress and how these experiences can be mitigated with the correct strategies. The third chapter considers the demand for improved welfare and animal handling systems from governments, non-governmental organisations and consumers. The chapter reviews recent advancements in technology that have the potential to improve animal wellbeing, profitability and performance during the weaning period. The final chapter discusses the main etiological agents acting in the period of transition from weaning, the risk factors for their introduction and diffusion within the farm and the main measures available for their control.