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      Pig Farming in Alternative Systems: Strengths and Challenges in Terms of Animal Welfare, Biosecurity, Animal Health and Pork Safety

      , , , ,
      Agriculture
      MDPI AG

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          Abstract

          In pig production, the widespread conventional indoor system with a slatted floor currently dominates. However, this production system is becoming less socially acceptable. In addition to general environmental protection issues, animal welfare, the absence of suffering and distress, and the management of pain also constitute societal concerns. In this context, alternative production systems are gaining ground. Although they are popular with consumers and other citizens, these alternative systems have their critical points. Here, we reviewed the international scientific literature to establish the state of the art of current knowledge regarding welfare, biosecurity, animal health and pork safety in this type of farming system. In general, alternative farms give pigs the opportunity to express a broader range of behaviours than conventional farms. However, the management of feeding, watering, temperature and predators is often more complicated in these outdoor systems. In addition, biosecurity measures seem to be applied less strictly in alternative farms than in conventional farms, especially in free-range systems, where they are more difficult to implement. On the other hand, pigs kept in these farming systems seem to be less affected by respiratory diseases, but parasitism and piglet crushing (in farrowing units) both remain a real challenge. Furthermore, the higher prevalence of many zoonotic pathogens in these farms may represent a risk for human health.

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          Most cited references29

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          Animal production systems in the industrialised world.

          The production of food from animal origin is relatively stable in the industrialised world. However, animal production systems are changing dramatically with respect to location, herd size and specialisation. Increased pressure from a critical public is moving animal-based production towards systems such as organic production and loose-housing systems which allow the animals to better express normal behaviour. The focus on food safety promotes systems with a high degree of biosecurity, often associated with an increase in herd size and self-containment. The globalisation of agricultural trade and increased competition also favours an increase in herd size and specialisation. These trends also lead to regions with livestock-dense areas, giving rise to environmental concerns. Therefore, good farming practice regulations and systems to provide a higher level of transparency, such as quality risk management programmes, are being developed.
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            The effect of bedding on the behaviour and welfare of pigs

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              Causes of sow mortality in Hungarian indoor and outdoor pig production units.

              Assessing the reasons for death in pig breeding units is the first step in understanding and controlling the factors influencing sow losses due to mortality. From October 1997 to October 2001 in forty-nine indoor (2876 sows died) and sixty-five outdoor breeding units (3451 sows died) sow mortality was evaluated. The average annual mortality rate during the four year evaluation period was 5.1 +/- 1.2% in indoor and 12.2 +/- 2.1% in outdoor production units. Swine urogenital disease (SUGD, 32.4%), heart failure (HF, 21.8%) and locomotor problems (LP, 33.1%) caused deaths were markedly higher in outdoor production, while periparturient diseases (mastitis-metritis-agalactia, MMA, 24.5%) and torsion or distension abdominal organs (TDA, 20.5%) revealed markedly higher losses in indoor units. The annual culling rate was 39.1% in the indoor and 45.2% in the outdoor units. In outdoor units 40.1% of all deaths occurred during the periparturient period of the reproductive cycle, in indoor units the majority of mortality happened during lactation (40.2%). Average parity at death was 3.6 in indoor and 2.5 in outdoor production.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                (View ORCID Profile)
                Journal
                ABSGFK
                Agriculture
                Agriculture
                MDPI AG
                2077-0472
                July 2020
                July 02 2020
                : 10
                : 7
                : 261
                Article
                10.3390/agriculture10070261
                5d354a50-8131-4534-a2a6-a27f30c2bf99
                © 2020

                https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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