UK pig producers examine welfare issues

The UK’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is seeking pig producers to take part in an eight-month project looking into practices around tail docking and indoor free farrowing. The Free Tails project, funded by the Tubney Charitable Trust, aims to help farmers, researchers and retailers share information about current practices in non-confining free indoor farrowing and reducing tail docking without increasing the incidence of tail biting.

The UK’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is seeking pig producers to take part in an eight-month project looking into practices around tail docking and indoor free farrowing.

The Free Tails project, funded by the Tubney Charitable Trust, aims to help farmers, researchers and retailers share information about current practices in non-confining free indoor farrowing and reducing tail docking without increasing the incidence of tail biting.

It will gather information relating to these two aspects of pig production and distribute this knowledge to a wider audience, with the ultimate aim of improving pig welfare.

National health scheme  

Regional agencies in England have agreed to work together on a national approach to promote pig health and disease mitigation. The British Pig Executive (BPEX) is now working on a proposal for a coordinated national health improvement project, building on current projects that are already up and running in Yorkshire the east of England. 

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