Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1022795425701571
Understanding the biological basis of aggressive behaviour in pigs is important for improving welfare and managing issues such as tail biting. This interesting study explores a less commonly discussed mechanism: the role of transposable elements (mobile DNA sequences) in regulating genes linked to behaviour.
The authors investigate how transposable elements may influence gene expression related to neural development and behavioural regulation. These elements can affect how genes are turned on or off, potentially contributing to individual differences in behaviour, including aggression. The study suggests that variation in the activity or location of these elements in the genome could be associated with differences in behavioural traits observed in pigs.
While this type of research is still at an early stage, it highlights a potential genetic and epigenetic layer underlying complex behaviours. This opens new perspectives for understanding why some animals are more prone to aggression than others, beyond environmental and management factors.
Overall, the study points toward a more integrated view of behaviour, where genetics, regulation mechanisms, and environment all interact. Such insights could, in the long term, contribute to more targeted breeding strategies and improved management of social behaviour in pigs.
Source: https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/news/pig-welfare-import-debate-fires-up-online/
A recent article from Farmers Weekly highlights a growing online debate in New Zealand surrounding pig welfare standards and the importation of pork products. The discussion was sparked by concerns that imported pork may come from production systems with lower welfare standards than those required domestically. Industry stakeholders, farmers, and members of the public have taken to social media to express conflicting views, with some advocating for stricter import regulations to protect animal welfare and ensure fair competition for local producers. Others argue that trade restrictions could have economic implications and limit consumer choice.
This debate echoes similar discussions within the European Commission, where questions around aligning trade with animal welfare standards have been particularly prominent in relation to beef and sheep sectors, notably in the context of agreements such as the EU–Australia Free Trade Agreement. Together, these debates highlight the broader challenge of balancing open trade with ethical production expectations across different regions.
Source: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.70230
Sharing a wild boar study for a change! A study in 2024 looking at human activity and how this changes pig social behaviour. Studying indoor pigs and wild boar populations is so different! It usually makes me think about how social interactions also differ between them.
This study looked at how different types of hunting may affect the social lives of wild boars across Europe. Using GPS tracking data from 21 wild boar populations across Europe, the researchers examined contact patterns between pairs of animals and compared periods with no hunting, individual hunting, and drive hunts. They found that drive hunts, but not individual hunts, were linked to lower contact rates within wild boar groups, suggesting that this more intensive hunting method can reduce group cohesion.
The study did not find evidence that hunting method increased contact rates between different groups. Instead, contact between animals from different groups was mainly explained by how close they were in space, and female–female pairs from different groups were less likely to be in contact than male–male or mixed-sex pairs. Overall, the findings suggest that hunting can do more than remove animals from a population: it can also change their social structure. The authors note that reduced cohesion within groups could affect survival, foraging, and use of resources, and they suggest that management may be able to reduce disruption by spreading drive hunts across space and targeting different groups over time.
A recent big news in Canada is that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) concluded that "PRRS-resistant pigs may now be manufactured or imported in Canada." (From Pig Progress) There are different view points and coverage related to this decision. The FDA approved PRRS-resistant pigs last year in the USA, and the National Pork Board did a survey trying to understand the consumers' perspectives on gene editing. https://view-su2.highspot.com/viewer/882ccf6187fbeef7f202ac0229da89bc#1
Below are a couple of different sources. What is your view on this?
Pig Progress
"Canada approves the use of gene-edited PRRS-resistant pigs" Feb 01
https://www.pigprogress.net/pigs/genetics/canada-approves-the-use-of-gene-edited-prrs-resistant-pigs
Canadian Pork Council releases statement in support of the decision.
"Canadian Pork Council Reaffirms Position on Market Acceptance of PRRS Gene Edited Product"
March 02, 2026 (Ottawa, Ont.) – The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) wishes to confirm its position regarding the potential benefits of gene editing with respect to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS).
First, Canadian producers are committed to ensuring their herds are as healthy and as safe as possible, and any technology that can help our animals be healthier is one we will support. We are also strong supporters of scientific innovation, and we support the development of tools grounded in science to support herd health. We rely on established animal health and food safety authorities to determine the appropriate regulatory pathway for any new technology, and as the Government of Canada has reviewed and approved this technology, we are prepared to accept it.
At this time, however, we know we must respect our customers. We know domestic and international consumers will want to educate themselves on this technology, but it is important to note there is no mechanism to track or segregate this product through supply chains. The product is approved from both a food and animal safety lens. Given the labelling challenge, and the need to apply such labels consistently across global markets, we support the work the proponent of this technology is doing to get market acceptance globally.
Any potential adoption will occur, once the product has been accepted by consumers and is available for producers, through normal breeding cycles and within established production practices. CPC remains committed to clear communication, regulatory integrity, consumer confidence, and maintaining strong market access for Canadian producers.
On the other hand, some other organisations urge caution and clear labelling:
CTV News reports: "Health Canada urged to make gene-edited pork labels mandatory"
AVMA's (American Veterinary Medical Association) report on AASV's (American Association of Swine Veterinarians) support:
https://www.avma.org/news/fda-approves-gene-editing-tech-creating-prrs-resistant-pigs
"AASV says it supports the responsible use of gene editing technologies to improve the health and well-being of swine under strict safety and ethical standards."
Source: DR – Danish political coverage on pig welfare in election debates
https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/folketingsvalg/partier-slaar-et-slag-doede-og-haleklippede-svin-m…
Pig welfare has recently taken an unusually prominent place in Danish political debate, including during high-profile discussions linked to the upcoming election. In a recent televised debate, the current Prime Minister pointed out that around 95% of pigs in Denmark are tail-docked and referred to figures of approximately 25,000 pigs dying every day - bringing a long-standing welfare issue into prime-time political conversation.
This level of visibility marks a clear shift. Issues such as tail docking, mortality, and housing conditions - traditionally confined to scientific or sector-specific discussions - are now being addressed directly in the political arena.
However, this increased attention also raises an important question: will it lead to actual change? As highlighted by DR (Denmark’s national public broadcaster and one of the country’s largest media outlets), concerns around pig welfare have been raised repeatedly over the years, yet concrete improvements have remained limited.
This tension between political visibility and practical implementation reflects the broader challenge facing the sector. While societal expectations around animal welfare are clearly increasing, translating these into effective policies remains complex - particularly in a context where economic competitiveness is also at stake.
Whether the current momentum will result in meaningful improvements for pig welfare is still uncertain. But one thing is clear: the issue has now moved firmly into the political spotlight.
Hi all, I’m sharing some of the news I saw recently from LinkedIn of the interesting new pig research at different research institutes. Please also feel free to share your latest research with the group!
1. BOKU university & Wageningen University & Research: pigs in flow
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/animalwelfare-flow-pigs-ugcPost-7379468213312610306-z-eV?utm_source=…
🐷📺 Pigs in flow: towards a new dimension of positive animal welfare
This study is the world’s first of its kind to explore a new dimension of positive animal welfare rather than attempting to reduce negative aspects such as stress and pain. While extensively studied in humans, the concept of flow is still new in animal welfare science.
Flow is a psychological state of deep concentration, intrinsic motivation, and absorption in an activity, during which external distractions fade and the individual is fully engaged in the task at hand. This is the focus of a fundamental study on improving the welfare of pigs through introducing tasks that evoke a sense of flow in these animals.
For this project we are strengthening cross-country collaboration between researchers from BOKU university (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna) and WUR.
Watch the video and discover how the researchers induce flow in pigs!
This research is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme PigWeb, the European Union's Horizon Europe Project EUPHAW and COST Action LIFT.
2. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences: sleep in pigs
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jens-malmkvist-299a2646_phd-opportunity-in-animal-behaviour-are-ugcP…
PhD Opportunity in Animal Behaviour. Are you passionate about animal behaviour, welfare research, and the fascinating world of sleep?
The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is now recruiting a PhD student exploring “Sleep and welfare – with focus on the interpretation of low-arousal states in pigs.”
Full advertisement and application details: https://lnkd.in/gHp9zZzE
3. ANSES & INRAE & Wageningen University & Research: positive emotions and disease resilience (by our very own PAROIS Severine!)
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/presentation-exciting-scientific-exchange-share-7440757973196488704-…
Presentation | Exciting scientific exchange at the Adaptation Physiology Group!
Sarah Ambruosi recently arrived as a guest PhD student working on the link between positive emotions and disease resilience in pigs. During her visit, she had the opportunity to share part of her research on how enrichment affects piglets’ responses to post-weaning diarrhoea, including results from an ETEC challenge study in contrasting housing conditions. This was a great opportunity for inspiring discussions and knowledge sharing across the group during a lunch meeting.
This work was supervised by Nicolas Rose and Séverine Parois from French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) and Elodie Merlot from INRAE and it will contribute to ongoing efforts to improve animal welfare and develop more resilient and sustainable farming systems.
Next step will be exploring how play behaviour may relate to resilience, in collaboration with Dr. J.E. (Liesbeth) Bolhuis, Allyson Ipema, and Inonge Reimert opening new perspectives on the role of positive emotional states in animal health and welfare.
Besides these, Goursot Charlotte BLV shared with us earlier an opportunity that FBN is opening to start an on-farm AI tool to assess pig welfare. I am also preparing to start a project this September on alternative farrowing systems to investigate possible future options for Canadian producers! We also have 2 smaller summer projects starting that will investigate brushes for sows as enrichment and music as enrichment for grow-finishing pigs. Please feel free to share your latest research too!
I came across this very interesting new publication talking about charisma in pigs! This is a bit different from what we are used to in animal science - a method of laboratory ethnography, commonly used in social science studies. Enjoy!
Title: Encountering nonhuman charisma: caring for research pigs
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2026.104568
Journal: Geoforum
Author: Kate Goldie, University of Southampton, UK (She is working under Dr Emma Roe who has done some very interesting work on human-animal relationship and human's role in animal studies.)
Abstract: In this paper, I examine the pig as a research animal and consider how a species-specific focus adds complexity to the inextricability of care and harm in the laboratory. Laboratory animal science is an ethically charged space where care and killing are inseparable, yet little attention has been paid to how this paradox is complicated by the particular identities and relational qualities of different species. Drawing on ethnographic research and interviews with animal technicians (ATs) in two UK facilities, I trace the ways in which pig charisma is actively engineered and mobilised across their lives in research. Distributed practices position charisma as a tool for shaping the ‘ideal laboratory pig’ while further entangling care with harm. At the same time, the same traits that engender close interspecies intimacies with pigs and ATs also make their deaths ethically and emotionally fraught. By following charisma across breeding, laboratory care, and potential afterlives beyond the laboratory, I extend debates on cultures of care and more-than-human ethics, while prompting reflection on the porous boundaries between laboratory subject, farmed animal, and companion species.
Source: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1717512
As shared in recent ManyPigs news, a large Australian producer has recently begun the transition from farrowing crates to maternity rings, with the intention of eventually retrofitting all crates across their sites. They have just published the first data reporting on the reproductive performance of sows in both systems, from one of their New Zealand sites.
There was some evidence of more piglet deaths in the maternity ring system before litter management had taken place at approx. 24 hours post-farrowing, with crushing being the biggest cause of these pre-foster deaths. However after litter management, overall piglet mortality was similar between maternity rings and farrowing crates.
Medication rates for both sows and litters were lower in maternity rings, which may suggest better health in this system possibly as a result of improved colostrum intake in piglets. Although interestingly, the authors also point out that the lower medication rates may instead be a result of stockpeople being more hesitant to enter maternity rings due to safety concerns. Stockperson hesitation to enter maternity rings may lower disease spread, which is positive, but it may also reduce the administration of medication to animals that require it.
Only first parity sows were studied, and it will be interesting to see future reproductive data on multiparous sows that have previous experience in this system
To read more about the maternity ring system, scroll back to see the linked Pig Progress articles from the previous news post.
Photo credit: Plush et al., 2026
Source: https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.70019
Understanding what wild animals actually eat is notoriously difficult. Traditional approaches often rely on long hours of behavioral observation or microscopic inspection of stomach or fecal contents, which can miss many dietary items. This study is interesting because it shows how DNA extracted from feces can provide a detailed picture of diet complexity in wild boars, offering a powerful and non-invasive alternative to time-consuming observation methods.
The authors used DNA metabarcoding of fecal samples to investigate the seasonal diet of wild pigs in a bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem in Arkansas (USA). The results revealed a highly diverse omnivorous diet, including at least 74 plant families and 106 genera. Plant material dominated overall, particularly oaks and hickories (Fagaceae), grasses (Poaceae), and asters (Asteraceae). Seasonal patterns were clear: hard mast (e.g., acorns) was most important in autumn and winter, while herbaceous vegetation increased in spring. The analysis also detected DNA from 23 vertebrate species, including mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles, with vertebrate consumption most frequent in autumn. Vertebrate material accounted for roughly 17% of the diet based on sequence abundance. These findings highlight both the dietary flexibility of wild pigs and their potential ecological impacts, including competition with native wildlife and effects on forest regeneration.
Overall, the study demonstrates how molecular tools can greatly improve our understanding of wildlife feeding ecology and ecosystem impacts. Non-invasive genetic approaches like this can help researchers and managers obtain detailed dietary information without intensive field observation, supporting more effective conservation and management strategies.
Latest publication in Animal on temporary crating.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2026.101761
Journal: Animal
Title: The impact of lying down support on the lying down behaviour and piglet trapping in temporarily crated lactating sows
Authors: V. Sekyrová, H. Chaloupková, G. Illmann
Abstract: The housing of lactating sows remains a persistent animal welfare concern. Temporary crating may offer a compromise that supports the welfare of both sows and piglets in the farrowing pen. This study examined whether, sows used lying-down supports (e.g. slope wall) before and after crate opening, and whether such use reduces the risk of piglet crushing. Nineteen healthy sows without any leg problems were housed in temporary farrowing crates from 5 days before farrowing until 3 days postpartum (pp), when crates were opened on the morning of day 4. The pen design included a slope wall angled at 18°, while the other wall, door, and nest barriers could also serve as supports. Sow and piglet behaviours were video-recorded for 24 h at three time points: 24 h before crate opening, 24 h after crate opening, and on day 25 pp. Analysed behaviours included the number and duration of lying-down events, use of supports, sow positions, and piglet positions in the pen and creep area. Continuous variables were analysed using linear mixed models accounting for repeated measures, and binomially distributed variables were evaluated using generalized linear mixed models. Following crate opening, sows significantly reduced their use of all supports compared with both the pre-opening period and day 25 pp, with nearly 34% of events occurring in the middle of the pen. Use of the slope wall declined significantly immediately after crate opening and decreased further by day 25. Lying-down events lasted longer when supports were used. Trapping events were rare (16 out of 1,539 lying-down events), with fatal crushing occurring in only four cases. These findings indicate that lying-down supports are not essential for preventing piglet crushing once the crate is removed; however, it is important to note that this applies only to healthy sows without mobility problems. Overall, releasing sows from close confinement does not appear to compromise piglet safety and may allow for more natural and maternal behaviours.
Source: Pig Progress, 3 part article. Part 1: https://www.pigprogress.net/world-of-pigs/farm-visits/maternity-rings-free-farrowing-no-space-issue…
SunPork, a large Australian integrator, has taken steps to reduce sow confinement through retrofitting their existing lactation facilities, with a plan to transition all farrowing crates in their operation to maternity rings.
The maternity ring system fits into the footprint of existing farrowing crates at SunPork. Each pen has a surface of 4.3 m2, which is more than the current code of practice space requirements in Australia. An oval ring in the middle of the pen is firmly attached to the pen walls at four points, at a height of about 20 cm above the slats. In that way, sows can step, turn and move around or over the ring, as piglets run underneath it. The floor is fully slatted and sows are provided with hessian bags to manipulate.
Farrowing crates are currently the most common housing system for sows in Australia, making up ~80-90% of farrowing and lactation housing.
Sow and piglets are calmly resting in this pen with a maternity ring. Photos: Vincent ter Beek
Source: Scientific Reports - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-17205-9
A new study has developed a comprehensive model for detecting and classifying a wide range of pig vocalizations - including coughs, screams, and other sounds - under real farm noise.
Traditional methods often focus on isolated sounds and struggle in noisy environments. This new Pig Vocalization Multi-stage Classification (PVMC) framework integrates multiple detection stages and emotional state classification, offering a more holistic view of pig sound patterns.
Pig vocalizations are important indicators of health and emotional stress, meaning this approach could improve automated welfare monitoring by providing richer, more actionable acoustic data from everyday farm settings.
Photo credit: Chung et al., 2025