Evaluation of a scheme to identify risks for tail biting in pigs

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Veterinary Medicine
• Agricultural Management

Background:

• Tail biting is a significant welfare concern in commercial pig farming.
• Effective risk assessment tools are needed to identify and mitigate tail biting.
• Current assessment methods may not accurately predict tail biting incidence or severity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a specific tail-biting risk assessment scheme.
• To determine associations between risk assessment findings and actual tail lesions.
• To identify potential areas for farm-level management improvements.

Main Methods:

• Trained veterinarians used a risk assessment tool on 27 commercial pig farms.
• The tool involved animal and non-animal observations in six pens per farm.
• Post-mortem tail lesion scoring was conducted at the abattoir for subsequent batches of pigs.

Main Results:

• High prevalence of fully slatted flooring (92%), mixed-sex groups (84%), and tail docking (92%).
• Limited simultaneous feeder access (86%) and predominantly single enrichment items (46%).
• No significant associations found between risk assessment indicators (injuries, behaviors) and actual tail biting or lesions.

Conclusions:

• The risk assessment tool identified farm management improvement areas (e.g., stocking density, enrichment).
• The study highlighted challenges in linking management practices and animal-based measures to tail biting risk.
• Improved assessor training and refined assessment tools are necessary for better prediction and prevention of tail biting.