The space age: minimising the use of crates in pig production
Research England recently provided funding for policy-relevant and participatory research. The funds have been allocated to research activity that supports evidence-informed policy making. This £900k total funding runs until July 2023 and includes a £200k fund for proposals aligned with the Leeds City Council’s Areas of Research Interest: Culture, Digital, Food and Inclusive Growth. Proposals were received from all areas of the University of Leeds with awards totalling nearly £420k going to food-related projects including several Global Food and Environment Institute researchers.
Dr Katie McDermott has received funding from Research England to explore how the amount of time a sow (female pig) spends with restricted movement can be reduced whilst she nurses her young. Working closely with DEFRA the project will explore the effect of temporary crating on piglet mortality and growth performance, alongside measures of sow welfare. This project will look at whether crating the sow for a few days in early lactation can reduce piglet mortality compared to the sow giving birth (farrowing) freely within the pen, whilst minimising negative effects on welfare.
UK pig production and the use of crates
The UK is quite unique in that approximately 40% of its breeding herd (pregnant or nursing sows and their piglets) are housed outdoors. These sows will typically give birth in a farrowing ark, on a straw bed with no restriction to their movement. For sows housed indoors, the story is different.
Approximately 90% of indoor-housed sows in the UK enter a ‘farrowing crate’ for approximately 4–5 weeks during birth and lactation until the piglets are weaned. Farrowing crates have been highly successful in improving piglet survival. Farrowing rates were introduced to pig production in the 1960s for a few reasons:
· To protect the piglets from crushing mortality — the sow can reach 300kg+ when fully grown, which is considerably heavier than her offspring (av. 1–2kg at birth)
· To improve safety for the stockperson — crates allow easy access for the stockperson to assist with the birth, to help piglets that are failing to thrive, and allows safer handling of piglets e.g. for vaccinations, without risk of injury from the sow who will instinctively want to protect her offspring
· To maximise production efficiency — crates have a smaller space requirement per pig than loose housing, which alongside reduced mortality, improves the economic productivity of the farm.
However, the use of crates has considerable negative welfare implications for the sow. As well as limiting her movement, the use of a crate restricts the sow’s strong desire to nest build and reduces her interaction with her offspring. There is growing consumer pressure to remove crates and cages from animal production, with DEFRA considering legislation to remove farrowing crates from UK farms.
What is temporary crating?
Temporary crating involves restricting the sow’s movement for only a short period of time whilst her piglets are at their most vulnerable. This is typically for between 2–7 days after the sow has given birth and may include the 24 hours immediately before she gives birth. This allows the protection of the piglets and safe management of the sow and her litter, whilst minimising the impact on the sow’s welfare. After the crate period, the sow is allowed free movement within the pen to continue to nurse her litter.
Why not remove crates completely?
Whilst loose housing the sow allows her to freely nest build and exhibit her natural behaviours, there is an increased risk of piglet mortality, resulting in a loss of productivity which will have considerable economic impact on the pig industry. Temporary crating may provide an agreeable alternative to the farrowing crate, protecting the piglets whilst maintaining good welfare for the sow.
The National Pig Centre
This project will take place at the University of Leeds National Pig Centre. This is the UK’s largest and most advanced facility for commercially scalable research into pig nutrition, behaviour, health & welfare, and indoor/outdoor pig production systems. With state-of-the-art indoor pig research capability, The National Pig Centre is home to a 440-indoor sow integrated herd, producing over 12,000 pigs per year. The facility is fitted with freedom-farrowing crates which allow flexibility for the sow to be temporarily restricted in early lactation, or to give birth and nurse loose in the pen. Every pen is fitted with CCTV which allows for 24/7 recording of sow and piglet behaviours. Each pig is identified via an electronic ear tag allowing data (such as weight) to be recorded for each individual animal.
What does the project hope to achieve?
The aim of this project is to work with policymakers to produce valuable, statistically powerful data that can directly feed into upcoming policy consultation on farrowing practices. The project will determine the effect of different lengths of temporary crating on piglet mortality as an alternative to free farrowing systems, and determine the feasibility as a compromise to a complete farrowing crate ban. This funding will build new research collaborations between the University of Leeds and DEFRA, opening the door for future partnerships and collaborations. The project will also allow a better understanding of the challenges facing the pig industry in the farrowing house at the local, regional and national levels.
You can read more about the other funded projects at this Policy Leeds Signpost.
