Abstract
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.
Highlights
IntroductionTail biting a common issue withinintensive intensivepig pigproduction production[1,2]
Sweden has a long tradition in rearing undocked pigs, with tail biting considered to be a minor problem on most Swedish farms [35]
To prevent tail biting and reduce the need for tail docking in future, we strongly recommend that current European Union (EU) legislation be revised to better match the biological needs of pigs
Summary
Tail biting a common issue withinintensive intensivepig pigproduction production[1,2]. To reduce the impact of tail biting, pigs worldwide aretail production and welfare [7,8,9]. To reduce the impact of tail biting, pigs worldwide are commonly commonly tail docked, without pain relief, within the first week of life [10]. Instead of providing a better production environment, 90–95% of the pigs produced within the European Union (EU) are tail docked. This is despite Council Directive 2008/120/EC [13] prohibiting. Directive requires that pig housing environments should be improved to reduce improved to reduce tail biting has been largely ignored [11,15,16].
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