This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.
Torun Wallgren. Understanding the financial impact of tail biting in pigs: a step towards a non‐docking policy. Veterinary Record 2021, 188, 306 -307.
AMA StyleTorun Wallgren. Understanding the financial impact of tail biting in pigs: a step towards a non‐docking policy. Veterinary Record. 2021; 188 (8):306-307.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTorun Wallgren. 2021. "Understanding the financial impact of tail biting in pigs: a step towards a non‐docking policy." Veterinary Record 188, no. 8: 306-307.
Unfulfilled exploratory behavior in pigs has been linked to tail biting, which causes reduced performance and welfare. Provision of straw can reduce tail biting, but large straw rations can cause poor hygiene in pens. This study examined whether provision of straw in racks, rather than on the pen floor, can enable larger straw rations without compromising hygiene. The study was conducted on a commercial farm with 458 undocked pigs in 42 pens provided with straw in racks or on the floor. Available straw and manual cleaning requirement were assessed daily, and presence of tail lesions was assessed weekly. Both treatments had a low requirement for manual cleaning (Floor: 1.7%, Rack: 1.8%). Pigs in the rack treatment had a higher incidence of lesions early in the production period, which coincided with these pigs initially not consuming straw from the rack, leading to low straw access. Late in the production period, these pigs had learned how to use the rack and had a lower incidence of lesions than pigs in the floor treatment. Delayed use of the rack may have been linked to undeveloped spatial skills in the pigs, which needs further research.
Torun Wallgren; Stefan Gunnarsson. Effect of Straw Provision in Racks on Tail Lesions, Straw Availability, and Pen Hygiene in Finishing Pigs. Animals 2021, 11, 379 .
AMA StyleTorun Wallgren, Stefan Gunnarsson. Effect of Straw Provision in Racks on Tail Lesions, Straw Availability, and Pen Hygiene in Finishing Pigs. Animals. 2021; 11 (2):379.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTorun Wallgren; Stefan Gunnarsson. 2021. "Effect of Straw Provision in Racks on Tail Lesions, Straw Availability, and Pen Hygiene in Finishing Pigs." Animals 11, no. 2: 379.
The sustainability of future finfish aquaculture needs to be improved to meet global environmental challenges. Global fish aquaculture production has expanded significantly recently, due to the increased demand for fish for human consumption. Therefore, it is important to mitigate challenges to the sustainability of the sector, such as pollution and depletion of natural resources. In this study, we systematically mapped the scientific literature on farm-level sustainability in fish aquaculture. The concept of sustainability was considered holistically, covering its economic, environmental and social dimensions, each consisting of a range of different aspects that may contradict or reinforce each other. Literature published between January 2000 and August 2020 with the geographical focus on Europe, Northern America and Australia–New Zealand was included. The search resulted in a total of 287 hits, but after the exclusion of articles that did not match the scope, only 17 papers remained for the systematic mapping. Of these, five papers covered all three dimensions of sustainability. Economic sustainability was addressed in 10 papers, environmental sustainability in 13 papers and social sustainability in 12 papers. This systematic mapping provides an important foundation for discussions and prioritisations of future actions to increase knowledge on farm-level sustainability in finfish aquaculture.
Stefan Gunnarsson; Katarina Segerkvist; Torun Wallgren; Per Hjelmstedt; Ulf Sonesson; Helena Hansson. Systematic Mapping of Research on Farm-Level Sustainability in Finfish Aquaculture. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9985 .
AMA StyleStefan Gunnarsson, Katarina Segerkvist, Torun Wallgren, Per Hjelmstedt, Ulf Sonesson, Helena Hansson. Systematic Mapping of Research on Farm-Level Sustainability in Finfish Aquaculture. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (23):9985.
Chicago/Turabian StyleStefan Gunnarsson; Katarina Segerkvist; Torun Wallgren; Per Hjelmstedt; Ulf Sonesson; Helena Hansson. 2020. "Systematic Mapping of Research on Farm-Level Sustainability in Finfish Aquaculture." Sustainability 12, no. 23: 9985.
Background Straw is a beneficial enrichment material for pigs, shown to improve welfare through reducing tail biting. Straw has previously been identified as one of the means of how to raise pigs without tail docking, through improving natural exploratory behaviour. Straw has however been linked to poor pen hygiene, making farmers reluctant to use straw and has largely not been implemented in commercial farming worldwide. Straw is a beneficial enrichment material for pigs, shown to improve welfare and reduce abnormal behaviour such as tail biting. Results This study investigates the impact of straw on pig and pen hygiene in pens with partly slatted floor in three grower and four finishing pig batches on five commercial farms (2329 pigs, 211 pens) in Sweden which were providing straw daily. Each batch was divided into two treatments; Control: 50-600 g straw/pen/day based on the farm normal straw ration; and Extra straw; (=doubled Control ration). The pens were scored based on cleanliness of the pigs, solid and slatted pen floor every second week. The pig and pen hygiene were mostly scored as clean in both treatments, overall around 1% of the observations were considered dirty/soiled. Conclusions As very few pens or pigs were considered dirty, it was concluded that straw provision is possible without risking poor pig and pen hygiene. Few observations in this study were considered dirty regardless of amount of straw that was provided, and had likely to do with other factors in the production rather than straw ration. These results implies that straw could be used in partly slatted pens in order to improve pig environment but more research is needed to quantify the impact of other external factors related to climate (e.g. temperature, humidity, velocity).
Torun Wallgren; Nils Lundeheim; Stefan Gunnarsson. Impact of amount of straw on pig and pen hygiene in partly slatted flooring systems. BMC Veterinary Research 2020, 16, 1 -10.
AMA StyleTorun Wallgren, Nils Lundeheim, Stefan Gunnarsson. Impact of amount of straw on pig and pen hygiene in partly slatted flooring systems. BMC Veterinary Research. 2020; 16 (1):1-10.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTorun Wallgren; Nils Lundeheim; Stefan Gunnarsson. 2020. "Impact of amount of straw on pig and pen hygiene in partly slatted flooring systems." BMC Veterinary Research 16, no. 1: 1-10.
Background: Straw is a beneficial enrichment material for pigs, shown to improve welfare through reducing tail biting. Straw has previously been identified as one of the means of how to raise pigs without tail docking, through improving natural exploratory behaviour. Straw has however been linked to poor pen hygiene, making farmers reluctant to use straw and has largely not been implemented in commercial farming worldwide. Straw is a beneficial enrichment material for pigs, shown to improve welfare and reduce abnormal behaviour such as tail biting. Results: This study investigates the impact of straw on pig and pen hygiene in pens with partly slatted floor in three grower and four finishing pig batches on five commercial farms (2329 pigs, 211 pens) in Sweden which were providing straw daily. Each batch was divided into two treatments; Control: 50-600g straw/pen/day based on the farm normal straw ration; and Extra straw; (=doubled Control ration). The pens were scored based on cleanliness of the pigs, solid and slatted pen floor every second week. The pig and pen hygiene were mostly scored as clean in both treatments, overall around 1% of the observations were considered dirty/soiled.Conclusions: As very few pens or pigs were considered dirty, it was concluded that straw provision is possible without risking poor pig and pen hygiene. Few observations in this study were considered dirty regardless of amount of straw that was provided, and had likely to do with other factors in the production rather than straw ration. These results implies that straw could be used in partly slatted pens in order to improve pig environment but more research is needed to quantify the impact of other external factors related to climate (e.g. temperature, humidity, velocity).
Torun Wallgren; Nils Lundeheim; Stefan Gunnarsson. Impact of amount of straw on pig and pen hygiene in partly slatted flooring systems. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleTorun Wallgren, Nils Lundeheim, Stefan Gunnarsson. Impact of amount of straw on pig and pen hygiene in partly slatted flooring systems. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTorun Wallgren; Nils Lundeheim; Stefan Gunnarsson. 2020. "Impact of amount of straw on pig and pen hygiene in partly slatted flooring systems." , no. : 1.
Background: Straw is a beneficial enrichment material for pigs, shown to improve welfare and reduce abnormal behaviour such as tail biting. Straw has previously been identified as one of the means of how to raise pigs without tail docking, through improving natural exploratory behaviour. Straw has however been linked to poor pen hygiene, making farmers reluctant to use straw and has largely not been implemented in commercial farming. Straw is a beneficial enrichment material for pigs, shown to improve welfare and reduce abnormal behaviour such as tail biting. Straw has however been linked to poor pen hygiene, making farmers reluctant to use straw and has not been implemented in many commercial farming.Results: This study investigates the impact of straw on pig and pen hygiene in partly slatted pens in three grower and four finishing pig batches on five commercial farms in Sweden which are providing straw daily. Each batch was divided into two treatments; Control: 50-600g straw/pen/day based on the farm normal straw ration; and Extra straw; (=doubled Control ration). The pens were scored based on cleanliness of the pigs, solid and slatted pen floor every second week. The pig and pen hygiene were mostly scored as clean in both treatments, overall around 1 % of the observations were considered dirty/soiled.Conclusions: As very few pens or pigs were considered dirty, it was concluded that straw provision is possible without risking poor pig and pen hygiene. Few observations in this study were considered dirty regardless of amount of straw that was provided, and had likely to do with other factors in the production rather than straw ration. These results implicates that straw could be used in partly slatted pens in order to improve pig environment.
Torun Wallgren; Nils Lundeheim; Stefan Gunnarsson. Impact of straw on pig and pen hygiene in partly slatted flooring systems. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleTorun Wallgren, Nils Lundeheim, Stefan Gunnarsson. Impact of straw on pig and pen hygiene in partly slatted flooring systems. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTorun Wallgren; Nils Lundeheim; Stefan Gunnarsson. 2020. "Impact of straw on pig and pen hygiene in partly slatted flooring systems." , no. : 1.
We systematically mapped the scientific literature on the sustainability of pig production at farm-level. Sustainability was considered holistically, covering its economic, environmental, and social dimensions, each consisting of a broad range of different aspects that may contradict or reinforce each other. Literature published between January 2000 and March 2020 with a geographical focus on Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand was included. A standard template with predefined keywords was used to summarise aspects of each sustainability dimension covered in identified papers. We found that papers analysing environmental sustainability were more frequent than papers analysing economic or social sustainability. However, there are many different aspects within each dimension of sustainability, hampering comparisons between studies. In addition, each dimension of sustainability has many sides, making it difficult to compare different studies, and different dimensions and aspects may have complex interrelations. Our systematic literature review revealed that these interrelations are not well understood and that possible trade-offs or synergies between different aspects of sustainability dimensions remain unidentified. This systematic mapping of the current literature on farm-level sustainability in pig production can support a more informed discussion on knowledge gaps and help prioritise future research at farm-level to enhance sustainability in pig production.
Stefan Gunnarsson; Katarina Arvidsson Segerkvist; Torun Wallgren; Helena Hansson; Ulf Sonesson. A Systematic Mapping of Research on Sustainability Dimensions at Farm-level in Pig Production. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4352 .
AMA StyleStefan Gunnarsson, Katarina Arvidsson Segerkvist, Torun Wallgren, Helena Hansson, Ulf Sonesson. A Systematic Mapping of Research on Sustainability Dimensions at Farm-level in Pig Production. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (11):4352.
Chicago/Turabian StyleStefan Gunnarsson; Katarina Arvidsson Segerkvist; Torun Wallgren; Helena Hansson; Ulf Sonesson. 2020. "A Systematic Mapping of Research on Sustainability Dimensions at Farm-level in Pig Production." Sustainability 12, no. 11: 4352.
Tail biting is a common issue within commercial pig production. It is mainly an indicator of inadequate housing environment and results in reduced health welfare and production. To reduce the impact of tail biting, pigs are commonly tail docked, without pain relief, within the first week of life. EU Council Directive 2008/120/EC prohibits routine tail docking, but the practice is still widely used in many Member States. Sweden has banned tail docking since 1988 and all pigs have intact tails, yet tail biting is a minor problem. This paper summarises and synthesises experimental findings and practical expertise in production of undocked pigs in Sweden and describes solutions to facilitate a transition to producing pigs with intact tails within intensive pig production in the EU. Swedish pig housing conditions and management differ in many aspects from those in other EU Member States. Swedish experiences show that lower stocking density, provision of sufficient feeding space, no fully slatted flooring, strict maximum levels for noxious gases and regular provision of litter material are crucial for success when rearing pigs with intact tails. To prevent tail biting and to eliminate the need for tail docking, we strongly recommend that EU legislation should more clearly match the biological needs of pigs, as is done in Swedish legislation.
Torun Wallgren; Nils Lundeheim; Anna Wallenbeck; Rebecka Westin; Stefan Gunnarsson. Rearing Pigs with Intact Tails—Experiences and Practical Solutions in Sweden. Animals 2019, 9, 812 .
AMA StyleTorun Wallgren, Nils Lundeheim, Anna Wallenbeck, Rebecka Westin, Stefan Gunnarsson. Rearing Pigs with Intact Tails—Experiences and Practical Solutions in Sweden. Animals. 2019; 9 (10):812.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTorun Wallgren; Nils Lundeheim; Anna Wallenbeck; Rebecka Westin; Stefan Gunnarsson. 2019. "Rearing Pigs with Intact Tails—Experiences and Practical Solutions in Sweden." Animals 9, no. 10: 812.
Tail posture (i.e., hanging or curled) has been suggested to be an indicator of tail biting, and hanging tails predisposed to damage. The aim of this study was to investigate if tail posture was feasible as a tail damage indicator in a commercial setting. The study was carried out on one batch of 459 undocked finishing pigs (30–120 kg in weight). Weekly scoring of tail posture was combined with the scoring of tail lesions. Tail posture was observed at feeding to facilitate the usage of the method in commercial settings. A curly tail was observed in 94% of the observations. Pigs with tails scored with “wound” were 4.15 (p < 0.0001) times more likely to have hanging tails, and pigs scored with “inflamed wounds” were 14.24 (p < 0.0001) times more likely to have hanging tails, compared to pigs with nondamaged tails. Tail posture correctly classified tails with “wound” or “inflamed wound” 67.5% of the time, with 55.2% sensitivity and 79.7% specificity, respectively. The method of observing the tail position at feeding seems useful as a complement to normal inspection for detecting tail biting before tail wounds are visible to the caretaker.
Torun Wallgren; Anne Larsen; Stefan Gunnarsson. Tail Posture as an Indicator of Tail Biting in Undocked Finishing Pigs. Animals 2019, 9, 18 .
AMA StyleTorun Wallgren, Anne Larsen, Stefan Gunnarsson. Tail Posture as an Indicator of Tail Biting in Undocked Finishing Pigs. Animals. 2019; 9 (1):18.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTorun Wallgren; Anne Larsen; Stefan Gunnarsson. 2019. "Tail Posture as an Indicator of Tail Biting in Undocked Finishing Pigs." Animals 9, no. 1: 18.
According to the European Union Council Directive 2008/120EC, measures to minimise the risk for tail biting shall be taken before practicing tail docking, e.g. provision of manipulable material. Still, >90% of the pigs within EU are tail docked. Thus, management routines for providing manipulable material in commercial pig production are needed. The aim of this study was to investigate how an increase from normal straw ration influence pig behaviour, occurrence of tail- and ear lesions and impact on pen hygiene. The experiment was conducted on five Swedish commercial farms; one grower and four farrow-to-finish farms. One batch per farm was studied, following pigs throughout the grower or finishing pig period. Both age groups were examined in two of the farrow-to-finish farms and only finishers in the other two, studying three grower and four finisher batches in total. The pens in a batch were divided into Control (C) and Extra Straw (ES). Pens in C were provided with the farm normal daily straw ratio, while pigs in ES got a doubled C-ration. The pigs in eight focus pens per Treatment were scored for lesions on ears and tails every two weeks. In connection with lesion scoring, behaviour observation was conducted in active pigs during one hour (4 min scan sampling) in the focus pens. All pigs in the batch were examined for tail- and ear lesions during the first and last week of the experiment. Both growers and finishers spent most of their active time manipulating straw. ES-pigs showed more straw-directed and less pen-directed behaviour in both age groups compared to C-pigs. Behaviour was also affected by farm and age revealing that the impact of an increased straw ration differed between farms and pig age. The increased straw ration did not affect the pen cleanliness, showing that it was practically feasible to increase the straw rations on all participating farms. The prevalence of tail damages increased with age, and more severe damages was found in C compared to ES. Severe tail and ear lesions were found in ~0.6 and 0.07% of the growers and ~2.2 and 0.75% of the finishers, C- and ES pigs respectively. Approximately 50% of the finishing pigs had tail damages at the end of the study, but the majority of lesions were less than 5 mm long and might not have been detected without close clinical examination.
Torun Wallgren; Anne Larsen; Nils Lundeheim; Rebecka Westin; Stefan Gunnarsson. Implication and impact of straw provision on behaviour, lesions and pen hygiene on commercial farms rearing undocked pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2018, 210, 26 -37.
AMA StyleTorun Wallgren, Anne Larsen, Nils Lundeheim, Rebecka Westin, Stefan Gunnarsson. Implication and impact of straw provision on behaviour, lesions and pen hygiene on commercial farms rearing undocked pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2018; 210 ():26-37.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTorun Wallgren; Anne Larsen; Nils Lundeheim; Rebecka Westin; Stefan Gunnarsson. 2018. "Implication and impact of straw provision on behaviour, lesions and pen hygiene on commercial farms rearing undocked pigs." Applied Animal Behaviour Science 210, no. : 26-37.
Tail biting is a common problem in intensive pig farming, affecting both welfare and production. Although routine tail docking is banned within the EU, it remains a common practice to prevent tail biting. Straw as environmental enrichment has been proposed as an alternative to tail docking, but its effectiveness against tail biting and function in manure handling systems have to be considered. The aim of the study was to survey how pigs with intact tails are raised and how tail biting is handled in Sweden, where tail docking is banned through national legislation. The study emphasises straw usage and its association with tail biting pigs and problems in the manure handling system. The expectation is that this information could be conveyed to the rest of the EU to reduce the need for tail docking. In a telephone survey of randomly selected Swedish pig farmers (46 nursery and 43 finishing pig units) with at least 50 sows or 300 finishing places, it was found that straw was used by 98% of the farmers. The median daily straw ration provided was 29 g/pig for nursery and 50 g/pig for finishing pigs in systems with partly slatted flooring. The reported prevalence of tail biting was 1.6% at slaughter. The majority of farmers reported that they never had manure handling problems caused by straw (56% of nursery units and 81% of finishing pig units). A proportion of farmers (37%) also provided with additional material apart from straw on some occasions, which may have affected tail biting prevalence and manure handling problems. Swedish farmers rear undocked pigs without large problems with tail biting. Straw is the main manipulable material used, and additional manipulable material is used to various extents. The low incidence of straw obstructing the manure handling systems implies that it is indeed possible to use straw in partly slatted flooring systems, reducing the need for tail docking. The impact of using additional manipulable material is unknown and requires more investigation to separate the impact of such material from the impact of straw.
Torun Wallgren; Rebecka Westin; Stefan Gunnarsson. A survey of straw use and tail biting in Swedish pig farms rearing undocked pigs. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 2016, 58, 1 -11.
AMA StyleTorun Wallgren, Rebecka Westin, Stefan Gunnarsson. A survey of straw use and tail biting in Swedish pig farms rearing undocked pigs. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. 2016; 58 (1):1-11.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTorun Wallgren; Rebecka Westin; Stefan Gunnarsson. 2016. "A survey of straw use and tail biting in Swedish pig farms rearing undocked pigs." Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 58, no. 1: 1-11.