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'We've Bred Them to Their Limit': Death Rates Surge for Female Pigs in the US
'We've bred them to their limit': death rates surge for female pigs in the US [theguardian.com]
Death rates for female pigs in the US are rising fast, sending alarm bells ringing throughout the farming industry.
The mortality rate rose from 5.8% to 10.2% [nationalhogfarmer.com] on farms owning more than 125 sows between 2013-2016, according to one organisation that collects data across 800 companies.
The numbers have been linked to a troubling rise in prolapse – the collapse of the animal’s rectum, vagina, or uterus. In some cases the prolapse itself is fatal. In others the pig is euthanised as a result. Some farms have seen no rise, or much smaller rises, but a separate report last year found that some farms were seeing prolapse causing as many as 25%-50% [agriculture.com] of sow deaths.
The American Association of Swine Veterinarians has created a sow prolapse working group, but their findings so far have been inconclusive. In April, the National Pork Board announced a multi-year research collaboration [iastate.edu] with Iowa State University’s Iowa Pork Industry Center designed to get a broad overview of the problem. Iowa is the nation’s top pork producer. The study, which is still under way, aims to collect detailed data from 400,000 sows – or about 13% of the nation’s 3 million working sows – on more than 100 farms across 16 states.
A number of possible causes have been suggested, including vitamin deficiency, mycotoxins in the feed, high density diets or abdominal issues. Some experts blame confinement systems in intensive farming – sows will spend a large percentage of their lives in gestation and farrowing crates that don’t allow them to move around. Modern breeding practices have also been suggested as a causal factor.
Industry figures largely declined to comment but some acknowledged that they are grappling with the issue. “It’s a topic in our meetings, both in the hallways and the meeting spaces,” said Dr Tom Burkgren, executive director of American Association of Swine Veterinarians, a group that educates vets around the country.
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