Intensively farmed pigs in batch pens

Intensive piggeries (or hog lots) are a type of factory farm specialized for the raising of domestic pigs up to slaughter weight. In this system of pig production, grower pigs are housed indoors in group-housing or straw-lined sheds, whilst pregnant sows are confined in sow stalls (gestation crates) and give birth in farrowing crates. Image File history File links Hog_confinement_barn_interior. ... Hardy Meyers chicken operation near Petal, Mississippi. ... This Tree of Life article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... These female brood sex sows are confined most of their lives in gestation crates too small to enable them to turn around. ...

The use of sow stalls for pregnant sows has resulted in lower birth production costs, however, this practice has led to more significant animal welfare concerns. Many of the world’s largest producers of pigs (U.S., Canada, Denmark) use sow stalls, but some nations (e.g. the UK) and some US States (e.g. Florida and Arizona) have banned them. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... A U.S. state is any one of the 50 states which have membership of the federation known as the United States of America (USA or U.S.). The separate state governments and the U.S. federal government share sovereignty. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ...

Intensive piggeries

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Intensive piggeries are generally large warehouse-like buildings. Indoor pig systems allow the pig’s condition to be monitored, ensuring minimum fatalities and increased productivity. Buildings are ventilated and their temperature regulated. Most domestic pig varieties are susceptible to heat stress, and all pigs lack sweat glands and cannot cool themselves. Pigs have a limited tolerance to high temperatures and heat stress can lead to death. Maintaining a more specific temperature within the pig-tolerance range also maximizes growth and growth to feed ratio. Indoor piggeries have allowed pig farming to be undertaken in countries or areas with unsuitable climate or soil for outdoor pig raising (e.g. Australia).^[1] In an intensive operation pigs will lack access to a wallow (mud), which is their natural cooling mechanism. Intensive piggeries control temperature through ventilation or drip water systems (dropping water to cool the system). Image File history File links Portal. ...

Pigs are naturally omnivorous and are generally fed a combination of grains and protein sources (soybeans, or meat and bone meal). Larger intensive pig farms may be surrounded by farmland where feed-grain crops are grown. Alternatively, piggeries are reliant on the grains industry. Pig feed may be bought packaged or mixed on-site. The intensive piggery system, where pigs are confined in individual stalls, allows each pig to be allotted a portion of feed. The individual feeding system also facilitates individual medication of pigs through feed. This has more significance to intensive farming methods, as the close proximity to other animals enables diseases to spread more rapidly. To prevent disease spreading and encourage growth, drug programs such as antibiotics, vitamins, hormones and other supplements are preemptively administered. Meat & bone meal Meat and bone meal (MBM) is a by-product of the rendering industry. ... Staphylococcus aureus - Antibiotics test plate. ... Retinol (Vitamin A) For the record label, see Vitamin Records A vitamin is an organic compound required in tiny amounts for essential metabolic reactions in a living organism. ... Norepinephrine A hormone (from Greek όρμή - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ...

Indoor systems, especially stalls and pens (i.e. ‘dry,’ not straw-lined systems) allow for the easy collection of waste. In an indoor intensive pig farm, manure can be managed through a lagoon system or other waste-management system. However, waste smell remains a problem which is difficult to manage.^[2]

The way animals are housed in intensive systems varies. Breeding sows will spend the bulk of their time in sow stalls (also called gestation crates) during pregnancy or farrowing crates, with litter, until market.

Piglets can be subjected to a range of treatments including castration, tail docking to reduce tail biting, teeth clipped (to reduce injuring their mother's nipples) and their ears notched to assist identification. Treatments are usually made without pain killers. Weak runts may be slain shortly after birth. Look up runt in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Piglets also may be weaned and removed from the sows at between two and five weeks old^[3] and placed in sheds. However, grower pigs - which comprise the bulk of the herd - are usually housed in alternative indoor housing, such as batch pens. During pregnancy, the use of a stall may be preferred as it facilitates feed-management and growth control. It also prevents pig aggression (e.g. tail biting, ear biting, vulva biting, food stealing). Group pens generally require higher stockmanship skills. Such pens will usually not contain straw or other material. Alternatively, a straw-lined shed may house a larger group (i.e. not batched) in age groups. A breastfeeding infant Breastfeeding is the practice of a woman feeding an infant (or sometimes a toddler or a young child) with milk produced from her mammary glands, usually directly from the nipples. ...

Many countries have introduced laws to regulate treatment of farmed animals. In the USA, the federal Humane Slaughter Act^[4] requires pigs to be stunned before slaughter, although compliance and enforcement is questioned.^[5].

Dispute regarding farming methods

Many industry experts advocate intensive swine farming. Regardless, intensive piggeries have been increasingly criticized in preference of free range systems. Such systems usually refer not to a group-pen or shedding system, but to outdoor farming systems. Those that support outdoor systems usually do so on the ground that they are more animal friendly and better allow pigs to experience natural activities (e.g. wallowing in mud, relating to young, rooting soil). Outdoor systems are usually less economically productive due to increased space requirements and higher morbidity. They also have a range of environmental impacts, such as denitrification of soil^[6][7] and erosion. Outdoor pig farming may also have welfare implications, for example, pigs kept outside may get sunburnt and are more susceptible to heat stress than in indoor systems, where air conditioning or similar can be used ^[8][9]. Outdoor pig farming may also increase the incidence of worms and parasites in pigs ^[10]. The increase in production costs has led to British pig-products being more expensive than those from other countries, leading to increased imports and the need to position UK pork as a product deserving a price premium. Free range is a method of farming husbandry where the animals are permitted to roam freely instead of being contained in small sheds. ...

Criticism of intensive piggeries

These sows are often confined in gestation crates. These crates limit sow movement. This accustoms sows to close confinement. After farrowing (giving birth), sows must be confined so that they do not crush their newborn piglets.[1]

Factory farming methods have come under increasing public scrutiny due to animal welfare and environmental concerns. Image File history File links Gestcrate01. ... Image File history File links Gestcrate01. ... For other uses, see Pig (disambiguation). ... Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. ... For other uses, see Pig (disambiguation). ... The factual accuracy of part of this article is disputed. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An environment is a complex of external factors that acts on a system and determines its course and form of existence. ...

Sow breeding systems

Organized campaigns by animal activists have focused on the use of the sow stalls, such as the 'gestation crate' and 'farrowing crate'. The sow stall has now been banned in the UK, certain U.S. states, and other European countries, although it remains part of pig production in much of the U.S. and European Union.

A ‘sow stall’ is the name of the confinement system for adult sows. It usually does not allow the pig to turn around, although it can sit or lie down [2]. The major reason for their use is that it prevents attacks towards pregnant sows, thus reducing miscarriages and increasing litter survival and the farmer’s productivity.

Only the sows selected for breeding (i.e. pregnant sows) will spend time in a sow stall. In an intensive system, the sow will be placed in a stall prior to service (mating) and will stay there for at least the start of her pregnancy, where the risk of miscarriage is higher. The length of the sow's gestation is 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days. In certain cases, sows may spend this time in the crate. However, a variety of farming systems are used and the time in the crate may vary from 4 weeks to the whole pregnancy.

There is also some criticism of 'farrowing crates'. A farrowing crate houses the sow in one section and her piglets in another. It allows the sow to lie down and turn around to feed her piglets, but keeps her piglets in a separate section. This prevents the large sow from sitting on her piglets and killing them, which is quite common where the sow is not separated from the piglets. Some models of farrowing crates may allow more space than others, and allow greater interaction between sow and young, although these increase the chance that the sow will crush her piglets. Some crates may also be designed with cost-effectiveness or efficiency in mind and therefore be smaller.

Effects on traditional rural communities

Another criticism of intensive piggeries is that they represent a corporatization of the traditional rural lifestyle. The rise of intensive piggeries has largely replaced family farming. For example, between 1982 and 1987 some 21% of Iowa hog farmers went out of business.^{[citation needed]} By 1992, another 12% had gone out of business.^{[citation needed]} In large part, this is because intensive piggeries are more economical than outdoor systems, pen systems, or the sty. In many pork-producing countries (e.g. US, Canada, Australia, Denmark) the use of intensive piggeries has led to market rationalization and concentration. Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  Ranked 26th  - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 199 miles (320 km)  - % water 0. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

This criticism neglects considering the number of family owned and operated farms that practice intensive farming methods.

Regulation

In 2002, Florida voters passed a constitutional amendment banning the use of gestation crates in that state. Four years later, Arizona voters passed Proposition 204, the Humane Treatment of Farm Animals Act, which outlawed the use of both gestation crates and veal crates, effective in 2013. Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ... Proposition 204, the Humane Treatment of Farm Animals Act [1], is a ballot measure that appeared on the Arizona ballot on November 7, 2006. ...

References

Gloucester old spots The Gloucester Old Spot (or Gloucestershire Old Spot) is an English breed of pig which is predominantly white with black spots. ...

External links

Government regulation

• Brief History of CAFO Regulations - from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture

Proponent, neutral, and industry-related

• Journal of Extension, article on case studies of the impact of large scale agriculture
• US Farm Bureau, Farm and Ranchers association
• The Pig Site – industry support site with feature articles and news, with an emphasis on intensive farming practices
• Industry-run site on intensive pig farming
• Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers
• USDA food safety
• Purdue University food science extension

Criticism of intensive pig farming

• SaveBabe.com Animals Australia's campaign to end pig factory farming featuring James Cromwell
• Swine Production: A Global Perspective
• Anti intensive farming site (Australian)
• Anti-agricultural FAQs on Factory Farming
• Ask For Change resources for consumers
• A critique of factory farming
• Factory farming pork
• Factory farming pigs Article with photos and videos of factory farming
• Husbandry Institute Promoting sustainable, responsible, and ethical animal husbandry
• Information about factory farming from The Humane Society of the United States
• Meet Your Meat - a PETA-produced factory farm tour narrated by Alec Baldwin