USA - Scientific assessment of the welfare of dry sows kept in individual accommodations
The use of individual gestation accommodations (IGAs) for dry sows in commercial pork production is an issue that has generated intense public debate. In an effort to provide objective, scientific information on the subject, CAST is releasing this new Issue Paper, Scientific Assessment of the Welfare of Dry Sows Kept in Individual Accommodations. The international Task Force provides an authoritative review of the available scientific literature as well as expert opinion on the topic of overall humaneness of IGAs.
2009-03-18
The use of individual gestation accommodations (IGAs) for dry sows in commercial pork production is an issue that has raised much debate. Public perceptions and misconceptions of welfare issues have the potential to dramatically impact swine production. The nine-member international Task Force of this new Issue Paper critically evaluates the scientific evidence of IGAs for sows, including considerations for behavior, nutrition and feeding, reproduction, clinical examination and health, manure management, worker safety, and system design. The authors indicate that no compelling evidence exists from scientific evaluations and comparisons of dry-sow keeping systems that, overall, either individual or group accommodation is more appropriate than the other.