Mitchell Nisley, Dr. Anna Kerr Johnson, and Dr. Nicholas Gabler, all researchers at Iowa State University, summarized this 2016 peer-reviewed journal article by Associate Professor and Veterinarian in Global Production Animal Welfare Monique Pairis-Garcia. Dr. Pairis-Garcia and several of her research colleagues compiled various literature on 21st-century swine welfare programs to give readers a comprehensive view of the types of assessment and auditing in which U.S. farmers are participating. Keep reading to learn more!
Major Finding
Swine welfare is a crucial focus in the U.S. swine industry, with ongoing efforts to develop and implement animal welfare educational, assessment, and third-party auditing programs. These programs offer objective tools to assess on-farm welfare and promote transparency with pork customers and consumers. By participating in assessment and auditing programs, pig farmers can pinpoint areas of success and improvement, as well as track the performance of their farms relative to industry good practices over time.
Key 21st-century assessment and auditing programs include the Swine Welfare Assurance Program® (SWAP), Global Animal Partnerships (GAP) Animal Welfare Certified Program, Common Swine Industry Audit (CSIA), Pork Quality Assurance® Plus (PQA Plus®), Transport Quality Assurance® (TQA), Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) Standards, and the American Humane Certified™ Animal Welfare Standards.
Why It Matters
Educational programs provided by stakeholders play a pivotal role in communicating good practice and welfare standards to farmers so that continuous improvements can be made. There are areas that require further scientific validation. For example, scientists need to continually study pig behavior in different housing systems, as well as methods for pain mitigation in pigs. Additionally, the assessment and auditing programs have mechanisms for continued auditor evaluation through education, on-farm training, and implementation between farms as highlighted by Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organizations (PAACO).
How the Research Was Conducted
The authors of this article searched research databases for information about swine welfare and compiled relevant research into a review article to provide an overview of swine welfare programs.
This review emphasized how stakeholders work together to create educational, assessment, and third-party auditing programs that can be implemented into all types of swine production systems in an effort to support good production practices and strive for improving swine welfare. Furthermore, land-grant universities have assumed responsibility in distributing these programs’ philosophies and practices to current and future industry leaders by sharing current, evidence-based information about swine welfare best practices.
Learn More
Learn more about the history of swine welfare programs in the United States by reading the full peer-reviewed journal article.