Advances in Pig Welfare

Advances in Pig Welfare analyzes current topical issues in the key areas of pig welfare assessment and improvement. With coverage of both recent developments and reviews of historical welfare issues, the volume provides a comprehensive survey of the field. Divided into six sections, the book opens with an introduction to pig welfare research. Section two moves on to review the needs of pigs, including chapters on the physical environment and the social and emotional needs of the animals. The third section covers the key welfare issues in the pig’s lifecycle from birth to slaughter with coverage of waning, aggression, and pig-human interactions. Emerging topics such as prenatal stress, individual differences and organic farming are the focus of section four. The fifth section covers assessment of pig welfare and the attitudes towards pig welfare amongst farmers and other stakeholders. The book concludes with a summary section provided by the editor. With an international team of contributors and a distinguished editor, Advances in Pig Welfare will provide a complete reference for practicing vets involved in welfare assessment, welfare research scientists and students, and indeed anyone with a professional interest in the welfare of pigs. Provides in-depth reviews of emerging topics, research and applications in pig welfareAnalyses on-farm assessment of pig welfare, an extremely important marker for the monitoring of real welfare impacts of any changes in husbandry systems Edited is a leader in the field of pig welfare, and contributors are experts from veterinary science, welfare academia and practitioners in industry