Animal Welfare

Monday, March 24, 2025

A Non-Negotiable In Sustainable Breeding & Genetics

By Jessica Patterson

Animal welfare is defined as “the physical and mental state of an animal in relation to the conditions in which it lives and dies.” (The World Organisation for Animal Health, 2024)

Animal welfare is a multifaceted topic that involves several varying subjects such as ethics, science, culture, religion, and society. Due to how many different lenses that animal welfare can be viewed through, it can be an incredibly difficult topic to not only define but find “perfect” solutions to. However, animal welfare is also a key component to sustainability and something the entire animal industry must continue to adjust and adapt for future generations.

The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare (Table 1), published in 1965, were the first internationally accepted standards of care for animals. The impact and use of the five freedoms is widespread across the world and was the foundation upon which animal welfare auditing tools were built. They are also the basis of how animal care protocols are developed by groups such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and WOAH.

The animal welfare movement started with ethical concerns when large-scale animal production became more the norm. But as time went on, the benefits of improved welfare standards in the industry have become apparent. Animals that are treated well are more productive and less prone to disease. There are even improvements to human well-being standards in the workplace.

“Treating animals with respect fosters empathy and compassion in individuals and communities, contributing to positive mental health and social well-being. Indeed, a better environment for animals is often a better environment for farmers, abattoir workers and everyone else involved in animal production.” (WOAH, 2024)

“By going through 10 years of industry data, it was discovered that improved animal welfare makes the animals safer and easier to handle, which results in a need for fewer staff, who are more satisfied, likely to have substantially less time off and have fewer medical expenses.” (Grandin, 2015; Douphrate et al., 2009; Sinclair, 2019)

When people are treated better in the workplace, it directly correlates to improved welfare and care of the animals. It's easier to take care of others when you are also being taken care of.

Tail biting

Tail biting in pigs is one multifaceted issue that poses challenges to both pig welfare and productivity in intensive farming systems. Tail docking has been a common practice to help prevent tail biting. However, it has been banned or is heavily restricted in much of Europe and elsewhere.

The most sustainable path forward to eliminate the need for tail docking and prevent tail biting is to address the root causes of this behaviour. This includes examining the genetic component and selecting the traits that will result in a pig that is sociable and easy to manage. It is also includes good management practices such as maintaining proper environmental controls and providing appropriate enrichment.

The impact of genetics

Genetic selection plays a crucial role in shaping the behaviour and welfare of pigs. Studies have shown that there is a genetic component to tail biting, with certain pig genotypes being more prone to engaging in this behaviour (Brunberg et al., 2013). Genetic factors influencing tail biting may be linked to traits such as aggression, stress response, and social behaviour. Understanding the genetic basis of tail biting can help in developing targeted breeding strategies to reduce the incidence of this detrimental behavior in pig populations.

Both Hypor nucleus sire line farms in Canada have eliminated tail docking since early 2022. We also select for sociable traits by utilizing group housing. All dam line sows in our Canadian nucleus farm, Bon Accord, and all sire line sows at our nucleus in France are kept in group housing. This allows us to understand the impact of genetics in an open environment where the pigs are free to interact and express their natural behaviour.

Experiences from the field

Since 2018, Arian Huisman from Germany has produced 7,000 long-tailed piglets per year. “A good cross is important to achieve the best results,” he says. And “99 per cent of the piglets in the nursery and 95 per cent of the finishing pigs reach the finish line with an intact tail!” With both the Hypor Maxter Piétrain and the Hypor Magnus Duroc in combination with the Hypor Libra sow, Huisman has been successful in raising long-tailed pigs.

Similarly, Normand Gage, agricultural production manager for duBreton in Quebec, has achieved impressive results without tail docking.

He says, “Hypor pigs are known for their social nature, making them adaptable to our large group settings. I would also say that these pigs are heartier and respond really well to our rearing conditions.”

Enrichment and management

In addition to genetic factors, environmental and management practices play a significant role in the occurrence of tail biting. Factors such as overcrowding, poor ventilation, inadequate enrichment, and suboptimal nutrition can contribute to the development of tail biting behaviour in pigs (Wallgren et al., 2019). Implementing appropriate management practices such as providing environmental enrichment, optimizing feeding strategies, and ensuring proper socialization can help mitigate the risk of tail biting outbreaks in pig herds.

Enriching an animal’s environment is a necessity, but a complicated one. When looking for good enrichment items they need to be things that can be sterilized, or things that can be easily disposed of and replaced. The most popular are hanging chains that one or more pigs can nose and chew on. These can easily be added to the side of penning and sanitized to ensure good biosecurity. Other common items include bowling balls for nosing, durable rubber toys for chewing and nosing, salt or molasses blocks that can be slowly consumed and played with, and burlap sacks or straw for nesting in farrowing rooms.

See Table 2 for a brief literature review.

Enrichment helps to keep the animals more entertained and helps to prevent negative stereotypic behaviour from developing. Stereotypic behaviour in pigs can be shown in a variety of ways but most commonly presents itself in biting behaviour, like ear or tail biting. Stereotypic behaviours lead to increases in distress for the animal that is being victimized and increasing aggressive behaviour from the attacking animals.

The timing of when enrichment is placed is also an incredibly important detail. A lot of producers will want to implement enrichment items into areas that are already showing negative behaviours. However, enrichment items are far more efficient when placed prior to negative behaviours.

Once negative behaviours have become routine for the animals, it is a lot harder for them to break those behaviours. Enrichment will still absolutely help lessen the negative behaviours, but we suggest using it as prevention to those behaviours versus the solution to them. The key to happy animals is being proactive and making sure we are meeting all their needs as they arise. You will continue to fight an uphill battle if you only react to issues once they have become too big to ignore.

Tail biting in pigs is a complex issue influenced by a combination of genetic, environmental, and management factors. Addressing tail biting through a holistic approach that considers a balance of genetic and environmental conditions is essential for promoting the well-being and performance of pigs in all farming systems.

Conclusion

Animal welfare has always been, and will always be, an incredibly important part of the animal industry. Animal breeding companies must have a sustainable and responsible mindset while embarking on continued genetic progress as their decisions have long term implications. They can either be part of the problem or the solution to ensure the Five Freedoms are attainable. As we continue to learn and understand animal behaviour and understand their needs on a deeper level, we can continue to improve their quality of life.

Increased animal welfare also improves the workers' experience with them and positively impacts their life, increasing work morale and minimizing turnover and injuries.

Be proactive when it comes to welfare standards, instead of being reactive. Animal welfare is the key to improving the animal industry as a whole and we must continue to adapt in our endless effort to make sure the animals, and the people working with them, have the best quality of life they can. BP