Housing
There are a variety of production systems that are used in industry today. There is no one ideal system in which the facility alone can meet all of the needs of the animal. The single most important factor in addressing the welfare of animals is the husbandry skills of the producer and stock handlers. Calling for change to housing systems as a means of improving pig welfare will not benefit the animal and it may endanger the health of the animal, food safety, or the environment.
Current housing systems are continuously evolving to improve efficiency, herd health and productivity. Our farmers are committed to developing new alternatives and providing for increased welfare and comfort for their pigs. In the 5 years up to 2000, more than $1 million has been invested in pig welfare research by APL.
Housing systems for pigs from birth to weaning and for lactating and weaned sows are generally managed on an all-in all-out basis, keeping pigs of similar age within a common environment. There should be provision for the cleaning and disinfection of each section between each batch of pigs. This is a major component in disease control and hence good welfare.
The four main options for housing pigs are:
- Indoor cement and/or slatted floored individual pens (note that only sows and boars are housed in individual pens);
- Indoor cement and/or slatted floored group pens with various individual or group feeding systems – partial feeding stalls, electronic feeding stations, trickle and floor feeding etc;
- Indoor large open-sided sheds, hoop-like structures, with deep litter flooring (rice hulls, straw, sawdust or similar), sometimes referred to generically as ‘deep litter housing” accommodating compatible groups of pigs. They are used extensively for growing pigs and for group housing of dry sows; or
- Outdoor paddocks, which include rooting areas, wallows, and kennels/huts for shelter (free range). These systems are only suitable for certain parts of the country and pose disease risks and a risk to the environment if not carefully controlled.
Suitability of Outdoor Pig Farming in Australia
The suitability of outdoor pig farming (sometimes called ‘free range’ pig farming) is restricted in Australia due to climatic conditions and soil conditions. Pigs run in free-range situations are vulnerable to climatic extremesand also a variety of disease and metabolic conditions. Certain weather and soil conditions make outdoor pigfarming unsuitable for animal welfare or environmental reasons. Australia suffers extremes in climate and generally has poor soil, compared to parts of the world where outdoor pig farming is used.
Suggestions that pigs should be forced outdoors under a free range system because this would be ‘welfare friendly’ are not based on an assessment of the needs of Australian pigs but on an intuitive reaction to what ultimately is a sophisticated farming method that must meet stringent environmental requirements.
APL does not support or prefer one form of pig farm production system to another: rather we are cognisant of the fact of the benefits and limitations of each system and seek to work with the farmer and the production system that secure the most sustainable outcomes for pig welfare and the environment.
For further details on outdoor pig farming click here.
|