The meeting focussed on optimising and monitoring of sow housing and management, and as the topic remains important, also on tail biting and tail docking.

The venue of the meeting was Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER). Here also the Italian Reference Centre of Animal Welfare has its headquarters. In total 6 delegates (CA’s, policy workers) from member states Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece, and 1 delegate from DG SANTE, attended.

Discussion topics

The delegates to this meeting brought in several topics, and after comparing it with EURCAW’s work programme 2019-2020, three topics were chosen by the EURCAW team: tail biting, sow group housing and mixing, and farrowing management and housing. After introduction of the topics by the proposers, three ‘coffee table’ discussions followed, one for each topic. On day 2, for each topic (an) invited expert(s) wrapped-up the discussion and presented scientific knowledge, practical examples and their own thoughts on the topics:

Tail biting is an ongoing project of the European Commission. It continues to be important to discuss the risk factors of tail biting and how to set protocols to evaluate the sectors' compliance with the pig welfare legislation requirements; View and input to discussion on tail biting, by Antonia Patt, Animal welfare scientist, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Germany.

Sow group housing and mixing: What are best practices for optimising introduction of gilts for the first time? What is more important in keeping aggression levels low and success rate: the group-housing system or (rearing) management factors? What animal based measures are suitable? Suggestions on ‘Introducing gilts to groups’, by Hans Spoolder, senior scientist in applied ethology, Wageningen Livestock Research, The Netherlands.

Farrowing management and housing: What are the strategies to eliminate or at least minimise the periods of severe restriction of sow movements? And lactation strategies of hyperprolific sows? Farrowing management and housing, by Giovanni Alborali, Antonio Maisano, Giovanni Santucci, Federico Scali, IZSLER, Italy.

Specific outcomes of these discussions and actions for the reference centre are described and summarized in the minutes. Based on her work with Inger Anneberg, Katy Overstreet, anthropologist at Aarhus University, Denmark, gave a talk on how to handle farmers' ambivalence and resistance, and make change happen on the farm.

Sow housing and management central topic in Regional meeting South

Onderwerp

Sow housing, husbandry, tail biting