1. No category

AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Aktuel forskning hos økologiske svineproducenter
APRIL 29 2015
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
Epidemiology & Management
Animal Science
Research Center Foulum
Jantind.sorensen@anis.au.dk
1
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Organic share of food production
in Denmark 2014
25
20
Pct.
15
10
5
0
Pigs
Broilers
Crops
Milk
Vegetables
Egg
0,5 %
2
Kirsten Lund Jensen personal communication April 2015
1
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Outline
Animal welfare in organic farming
Rules for organic pig production relating to animal welfare
Danish Studies with reference to conventional pig production
Sows and piglets
Growing pigs
Use of anitibiotics
Robustness of organic pigs
Conclusions
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
3
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Different views on animal welfare
(Fraser et al 1997)
Naturalness
Biological
function
Feelings –
Affective state
2
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Rules for organic pig production provide a
clear profile on animal welfare with an
emphasis on naturalness
Sows are kept on pasture summer and winter
Piglets are weaned late and not tail docked
Growing pigs are kept in door with out-door access
In door pigs have more space, solid floor and straw bedding
Fed organic feed and permanent access to forage
5
Assessing animal welfare in 9 organic
and 46 conventional sow herds
in 2011-12
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
6
3
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
A protocol using the Welfare Quality framework –
Welfare impact provided by an expert opinion panel
Principle
Measure
Lactation
Feeding
Body condition score
Housing
Bursitis
Housing
Housing
Gestation
2.5
2.5
3
3
Manure on body
2.5
2.5
Shoulder wound
3
-
Health
Wounds on body
3
3
Health
Vulva lesion
3
3
Health
Skin condition
2.5
2.5
Health
Local infection
3
3
Health
Metritis
3
-
Health
Mastitis
4
-
Health
Lameness
-
4
Behaviour
Human-animal relationship
-
2.5 7
Behaviour
Stereotype
-
3
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Overall animal welfare seems to be better in
organic sow herds
Herds AWI
1400
1200
Organic
1000
Conventional
800
600
400
200
0
8
4
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Lower welfare for organic sow herds during
summer than during winter
800
Dirty sows
Sun damage
Lameness
700
600
500
Behavior
400
Health
300
Housing
Feeding
200
100
0
Winter
Summer
9
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Lamenes prevalense in organic sow herds is
higher during summer (Knage-Rasmussen et al 2014)
0,18
0,16
Summer/autumn
winter
0,14
0,12
0,1
0,08
0,06
0,04
0,02
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Nine organic sow herds visited twice in 2011/12
5
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
High piglet mortality in organic pig production
(Sørensen & Pedersen 2013)
35
30
25
33%
20
15
26%
10
Stillbirth
Mortality - liveborn
Mortality -born
5
9%
0
11
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Health status in organic and in-door
conventional finishing pig herds
(Bonde et al. 2007)
16 organic herds
48 conventional herds
12
6
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Clinical examinations of slaugther pigs (>30
kg) (mod a Bonde et al 2007)
Prevalence %
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Organic
Conventional
Total
Skin lesions
Poor body condition
13
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Selected meat inspection disease disorders
were grouped into four organ categories
› Intestines (INT): eg: peritonitis and enteritis (acute and chronic)
› Respiratory disorders (RESP) eg: pneumonia and pleuritis (acute or
chronic)
› Heart disorders (HEART) eg: pericarditis
› Parasitic disorders (PAR) eg: liver cirrhosis or milky spots in liver
14
7
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
True prevalence's for four disease complexes among
conventional and organic pigs (Bonde et al 2010)
15
Production of entire male organic pigs
does not compromise animal welfare
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
(Thomsen 2015)
When separating entire males from females and
keeping pigs in small groups (15 pigs/pen):
Moderate number of skin lesions
No increase in mounting behaviour with
size/age
Low prevalence of lameness
16
8
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Specific rules for use of antibiotics in organic
livestock production
Breeding animals can not be treated with antibiotics more than 3
times /year
Withdrawal time length is twice compared to conventional
production
All diagnosis need to be made by a veterinarian
17
Usage of antibiotics in organic and
conventional pig production
- slaughter pigs 30-100 kg
2007 (Wingstrand et al 2009)
Conventional
Organic
Herds
46
51
Doses per produced pig
3.0
0,2
9
Usage of antibiotics in organic and
conventional pig production
-sows
2012 (not publiched)
Conventional
Organic
Herds
46
9
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
ADD/yearsow
8,5
1,6
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Usage of antibiotics in organic and
conventional pig production
-weaners
Conventional weaners 7-30 kg 9,44 ADD
Organic weaners 12-30 kg
0,46 ADD
Data from Vetstat 2014
20
10
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
No differences in mortality between organic
and conventional slaughter pigs and sows
%
14
12
10
8
Organic
6
Conventional
4
2
0
Slaugther pigs
Hegelund et al 2007
Sows
21
Not published data from 2011-12
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
No relation between usage of antibiotics
and mortality in slaughter pig herds
Unpublished 2004
7
6
5
4
Conventional herds
Organic herds
3
2
1
0
No use af antibiotics
Low use of antibiotics
High use of antibiotics
22
11
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
No relation between sow mortality and
use of antibiotics in sow herds
0,4
Mortality rate
0,35
0,3
0,25
Conventional
0,2
Organic
0,15
0,1
0,05
0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
23
ADD/yearsow
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Effect of pig production system on pathogen
shedding risk (Bonde & Sørensen 2012)
› Study design:
11 organic slaughter pig herds
12 conventional outdoor pig herds
11 conventional indoor slaughter pig herds
30-50 pigs per farm - in total 1535 pigs
Faecal sample before and after transport to the abattoir (faecal
density of Salmonella enterica)
Meat juice sample (specific antibodies against Salmonella
enterica)
12
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Percent positive pigs based on serology
(meat juice) or shedding at abattoir
Bonde & Sørensen 2012
25
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Results suggest that organic pigs are more
resistant to Salmonella infections
(Bonde & Sørensen 2012)
12
10
% pigs
Shedding
Salmonella
at slaughter
8
6
seronegative
4
seropositive
2
0
Organic
Conv.
Outdoor
Indoor
System
26
13
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Conclusion I
Organic pigs enjoy possibilities for expressing natural
behaviour
access to out door area
more space
access to forage,
late weaning
no tail docking
Organic pig production concept offer a clear alternative
to conventional pig production regarding antibiotics
Using only 10 % of the antibiotics used in conventional
Without increased mortality for sows and slaughter pigs.
27
AARHUS
UNIVERSITY
Animal welfare in organic pig production
Jan Tind Sørensen
29 APRIL 2015
Conclusion II – Major challenges
The high piglet mortality
Need to be reduced through a combined effort on breeding and
management
A high level of endoparasite infection in growing pigs
Should be addressed without reducing access to out-door area
Castration does not fit to the focus on naturalness
Production of entire male pigs could improve animal welfare and
productivity
The boar taint problem is not solved.
28
14