In Canada, there are more than 7,000 pig farms raising over 21 million pigs each year for commercial pork production. The pork industry in British Columbia is small, with Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba making up over 80% of Canada’s pork production.
Life of a farmed pig
Most pig farmers in Canada raise their pigs indoors. While the controlled indoor environment helps protect pigs from disease, predators and extreme weather, this can come at a cost to their welfare. There are some farms where the pigs have outdoor access, and others that specialize in raising their pigs on pasture.
Gestation
The first stage of pig farming is gestation (pregnancy). Female pigs are bred, and their gestation lasts approximately three months, three weeks and three days. Pregnant pigs are typically housed in gestation stalls during this time, although Canadian pig farmers have committed to phasing out this practice on a delayed schedule.
Gilts (female pigs who have never had a litter of piglets before) reach maturity and are bred around six to eight months of age. After delivering their first litter of piglets, gilts are called sows.
Farrowing
The next stage is farrowing (birth). Gilts and sows are moved to a farrowing barn when they are ready to give birth. On average, there are 10 to 14 piglets per litter. They will typically give birth in a farrowing crate. Piglets will nurse from their mothers for three to four weeks, after which they are weaned.
Nursery
After weaning, piglets are grouped by size and moved to a nursery barn. There, they are fed a grain-based diet and continue to grow.
Growing & finishing
Once they are six to eight weeks of age and weigh around 25 kilograms, pigs are once again moved to a finishing barn to accommodate their growing size. The pigs are fed a specialized diet until they reach a market weight of approximately 120 kilograms at around six months of age. Pigs are then divided into two groups: breeding stock and market pigs. For breeding stock, farmers select the pigs with the best genetics and most desirable traits to stay on the farm to add to their herd or replace existing pigs. The rest are sent to slaughter.
Some farmers have farrow-to-finish barns, where pigs are born and raised on the same farm to market weight. Others specialize in a single area of growth, such as sow barns where piglets are born and weaned, nursery barns for older piglets, or finishing barns to prepare pigs for market.
Priority areas for improving pig welfare
Freedom of movement in housing
Gestation stalls are used to house pregnant gilts and sows. Farrowing crates are used to house nursing sows with their piglets. These housing systems severely restrict the movement of the gilts and sows. These stalls and crates can help prevent aggression between pigs, allow for increased control over feed intake, and protect piglets from accidental crushing. However, sows are deprived of the ability to express important natural behaviours, leading to stress, frustration, and the development of abnormal behaviours. Further, inability to exercise may lead to decreased bone and muscle strength.
In well-managed systems, gilts and sows can be housed in groups, offering more freedom of movement and socialization. The pig industry should uphold its commitment to phasing out gestation stalls and transition away from using farrowing crates.
Providing enrichment
While pigs in Canada are required to be provided with multiple forms of enrichment, improvements could be made to ensure that the pigs engage with the enrichments provided and that there are enough available for all pigs to access.
Improving comfort
Flooring can impact pig health and comfort – if not properly designed and maintained, it can lead to injuries. Bedding is also beneficial to pig well-being. However, providing pigs on farms with bedding is not required. Pigs are commonly housed on hard, bare, slatted floors. While these floors keep the barn cleaner by allowing manure and urine to fall through to a collection pit below, they don’t permit the use of bedding, resulting in uncomfortable conditions. Flooring may become slippery, increasing leg sores and lameness (inability to walk properly) in pigs. Bedding not only allows pigs to be more comfortable, but also permits natural behaviours like rooting, exploration and nesting, and may reduce boredom and aggression in pigs.
Providing pain control for painful practices
Castration, ear notching, tail-docking and teeth trimming are painful and stressful procedures piglets go through on a Canadian farm.
Male pigs are castrated before weaning to improve meat quality and to reduce aggression between other males. Analgesics are required for post-procedure pain, but anesthetic (to control pain during the procedure) is not a requirement. Ear notching, cutting a small piece out of the ear, is done for identification purposes, but is a painful process and pain control is not required.
Pigs may be tail-docked to prevent tail-biting, a serious welfare problem. Tail-biting can be triggered by many different factors, such as lack of space and enrichment, and can result in severe wounds, infections, and even death. Analgesics are required for post-procedure pain, but anesthetic (to control pain during the procedure) is not a requirement.
Piglets may have their teeth trimmed to help prevent pigs from injuring each other out of boredom or frustration in barns that lack space and enrichment. Although teeth clipping is not as commonly done on Canadian farms now, when it is performed there is no requirement for pain control, and if done improperly can lead to discomfort or infection.
Comprehensive pain control is needed for all painful procedures, and management and housing changes are needed to prevent the need to performing painful procedures at all.
Support a better life for farmed pigs
By choosing higher-welfare food products, you can help pigs lead better lives and support the farmers who care for them. Learn more about shopping for higher-welfare food.
We are always working to build a better future for farm animals in B.C. and across Canada, but we need your help. Help us speak for farm animals by taking action.
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