Abstract
Simple SummaryEU legislation states that all pigs must have access to material that allows them to perform investigation and manipulation activities. This reduces the risk of pigs performing damaging behaviours (e.g., tail, ear and flank biting). The aim of this study was to determine associations between damaging behaviours performed by finisher pigs, the related lesions and the use of different types of enrichment. Finisher pigs were observed on 31 commercial pig farms in Ireland and the number of pigs affected by tail, ear and flank lesions as well as all occurrences of damaging behaviour (tail-, ear- and flank-directed behaviour) were recorded. The type (chain, plastic or wood) of enrichment provided was noted; chains were the most common (41.4% of farms), followed by plastic (37.9%) and wood (20.7%). Damaging behaviour was more frequent on farms that provided chains compared to plastic or wood, particularly tail- and flank-directed behaviour was affected. The prevalence of lesions tended to be higher on farms where chains were provided compared to wooden enrichment devices. This was due to a higher prevalence of mild tail lesions on farms using chains. Results suggest that despite chains being commonly used, they did not fulfill their role in reducing damaging behaviours and associated lesions in finisher pigs.EU legislation states that all pigs must have access to material that allows them to perform investigation and manipulation activities, thereby reducing the risk of pigs performing damaging behaviours (e.g., tail, ear and flank biting). We aimed to determine associations between damaging behaviours performed by finisher pigs, the related lesions and the use of different types of enrichment. Six randomly selected pens of finisher pigs were observed for 10 min each on 31 commercial pig farms in Ireland. All pigs were counted and the number of pigs affected by tail, ear and flank lesions was recorded. During the last 5 min, all occurrences of damaging behaviour (tail-, ear- and flank-directed behaviour) were recorded. The type (chain, plastic or wood) and number of accessible enrichment objects/pen was recorded. Chains were the most common (41.4% of farms), followed by plastic (37.9%) and wood (20.7%). Damaging behaviour was more frequent on farms that provided chains compared to plastic or wood. Farms with chains were associated with a higher frequency of flank-directed behaviour and tended to be associated with a higher frequency of tail-directed behaviour compared to farms that provided plastic devices. The prevalence of lesions tended to be higher on farms where chains were provided compared to wooden enrichment devices, mostly driven by a difference in the prevalence of mild tail lesions. Results support expert opinions that despite being commonly used, chains did not fulfill a role in reducing damaging behaviours and associated lesions in finisher pigs compared to other forms of enrichment.
Highlights
IntroductionEC Directive 2008/120 requires that all pigs have access to proper investigation and manipulation materials, such as straw, hay, wood, sawdust, mushroom compost, peat or a mixture of such [1].While these materials contain many of the characteristics preferred by pigs (i.e., ’ingestible’, ‘odorous’,‘chewable’, ‘deformable’ and ‘destructible’), they are not always considered a practical form of environmental enrichment—especially in (partly) slatted floor systems commonly used in Europe [2,3,4].there is ambiguity about what qualifies as ‘proper investigation and manipulation materials’ such that farmers, consumers and animal welfare experts have different perceptions as to what constitutes appropriate enrichment for pigs [5,6,7]
While environmental enrichment can reduce both tail and ear biting in pigs to some extent [19], much of the focus has been on tail biting, with the majority of studies being conducted under experimental conditions rather than on commercial farms [12,14]
This paper presents findings on environmental enrichment use on Irish farrow-to-finish pig farms, its relationship to damaging behaviours performed by pigs and to the prevalence of the associated lesions
Summary
EC Directive 2008/120 requires that all pigs have access to proper investigation and manipulation materials, such as straw, hay, wood, sawdust, mushroom compost, peat or a mixture of such [1].While these materials contain many of the characteristics preferred by pigs (i.e., ’ingestible’, ‘odorous’,‘chewable’, ‘deformable’ and ‘destructible’), they are not always considered a practical form of environmental enrichment—especially in (partly) slatted floor systems commonly used in Europe [2,3,4].there is ambiguity about what qualifies as ‘proper investigation and manipulation materials’ such that farmers, consumers and animal welfare experts have different perceptions as to what constitutes appropriate enrichment for pigs [5,6,7]. EC Directive 2008/120 requires that all pigs have access to proper investigation and manipulation materials, such as straw, hay, wood, sawdust, mushroom compost, peat or a mixture of such [1]. While these materials contain many of the characteristics preferred by pigs Environmental enrichment provides pigs with opportunities to express explorative behaviour and its presence aids in reducing damaging behaviours, such as tail biting, compared to when pigs are housed in barren environments [4,12,14]. While environmental enrichment can reduce both tail and ear biting in pigs to some extent [19], much of the focus has been on tail biting, with the majority of studies being conducted under experimental conditions rather than on commercial farms [12,14]
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