Marianne Bonde

Evaluation of sensitivity and specificity of routine meat inspection of Danish slaughter pigs using Latent Class Analysis

Two groups of observers, regular meat inspectors and two veterinary researchers, respectively, conducted independent veterinary meat inspection of organs of slaughter pigs from organic or conventional production systems slaughtered at one abattoir in April 2005. A total of 3054 pigs (899 organic and 2155 conventional) were examined. The observed pathological disorders were grouped in four categories; respiratory disorders (RESP), parasitic disorders (PAR), intestinal disorders (INT) and heart disorders (HEART). Using a latent class model, the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of meat inspectors and researchers were estimated without the assumption of an available gold standard. The Se for the regular meat inspection was found to be 0.92, 0.16, 0.24 and 0.49 for RESP, PAR, INT and HEART, respectively. The Se for the researchers was found to be 0.81, 0.96, 0.91 and 0.68 for RESP, PAR, INT and HEART, respectively. The Sp for the regular meat inspection was found to be between 0.98 and 1.00 for the four categories. The Sp for the researchers was found to be 0.83, 0.94, 0.76 and 0.99 for RESP, PAR, INT and HEART, respectively. The low Se of ordinary meat inspection for parasitic, intestinal and heart disorders will cause a significant underestimation of the prevalence of diseases reported to the pig producers. Based on our results the true prevalence of diseases (conventional vs. organic slaughter pigs) was (in %): 42 vs. 16, 5 vs. 51, 5 vs. 12 and 9 vs. 5 for RESP, PAR, INT and HEART, respectively.

Herd and sow-related risk factors for mortality in sows in group-housed systems

Mortality of sows is a major problem for pig production worldwide. In this study, we used hierarchical multivariable logistic analyses to investigate different risk factors for mortality at the sow and herd level in herds with group-housed pregnant sows. Data included 3652 pregnant and 1266 lactating sows from 34 sow herds. A clinical examination for 16 clinical signs was carried out for each sow, and information about 16 herd related factors was obtained by interviews. Farm records were used to obtain information about whether or not sows died suddenly or were euthanized within 3 months after the clinical examination. Factors increasing the risk of sow mortality in the gestation unit were solid pen floors (OR=1.87), presence of vulva bites (OR=1.73) and unwillingness to stand when approached (OR=1.62). Factors increasing the risk of sow mortality in the lactation unit were pale vulva color (OR=12.69), body leanness (OR=4.11), and presence of shoulder ulcers (OR=2.89). The estimated between herd variation was small. Thus, the findings for the sow level variables may be generally applicable for sows in herds with group housed systems.

Structure of the Welfare Assessment Report for Communication with Farmers

Assessments of farm animal welfare can be presented to the livestock farmer using a welfare assessment report. The structure of the report depends on the objective of the welfare assessment. Further, the report is an integral part of the welfare assessment process, and it should be able to function as a decision support tool introducing animal welfare considerations on the farm. The report may aim to provide an overview, or an evaluation of present welfare levels in the herd, or detailed data which document the welfare situation. The overview allows priorities to be set among welfare-motivated interventions on the farm. Documentation serves to link conclusions on animal welfare to exact observations on the farm regarding the chosen welfare indicators. It thereby enables the farmer to relate to the welfare assessment. The evaluation provides a frame of reference and a conclusion as to whether the level of animal welfare on the farm is satisfactory. All three elements are important to the farmer. A prototype of the welfare assessment report has therefore been developed presenting overview, evaluation and documentation in a hierarchical structure. This ensures that the report is readable and problem-oriented.

Special issue—organic pig production in Europe—animal health, welfare and production challenges

Within Europe, organic pigs are produced in many different ways according to local environment, national standards and farm-specific facilities and preferences. However, all herds must adhere to the minimum standards for organic production set out in European Directives and, in consequence, face some common challenges in the management of health and welfare. Since the use of antibiotics and antiparasitic drugs is undesirable in organic pig production, the main focus of health management is on developing herd management strategies that prevent diseases and parasites. It is therefore important to understand the relationships between housing andmanagement practice and disease incidence in organic pig production and to convert this knowledge into tools that the individual farmer can use to improve livestock health on the farm. Between 2007 and 2010, a pan-European project on organic pig production focussed on the ‘Prevention of selected diseases and parasites in organic pig herds – by means of a HACCP based management and surveillance programme’ (COREPIG). The overall objective of the COREPIG project was to promote animal health and welfare in organic pig herds in Europe. The project had three main components: (i) to conduct an international knowledge synthesis to establish future needs for research into disease and parasite prevention in organic pig production; (ii) to estimate risk factors for selected diseases and parasites in European organic pig herds and (iii) to develop and evaluate a management and surveillance system for organic pig herds based on a hazard analysis, critical control points (HACCP) concept. More details of the project can be found at www.coreorganic. org/research/projects/corepig. This special issue of Organic Agriculture draws together the knowledge synthesis work carried out as part of the COREPIG project. The review papers presented here describe the diversity of current organic pig production systems and then analyse the available information on health and welfare issues associated with the following: (i) pregnant and lactating sows, (ii) suckling piglets, (iii) weaners and (iv) fattening pigs, to provide an important critical reflection on the current status of, and challenges facing, the pig production sector. In addition, experimental papers are included which report work carried out within the project on (v) the use of animal-based measures in the assessment of health and Org. Agr. (2014) 4:79–81 DOI 10.1007/s13165-014-0078-y

Animal health, welfare and production problems in organic weaner pigs

This paper reviews the available information on the different health and animal welfare issues in organic pigs in relation to weaning. It addresses the most relevant health and welfare problems and reviews their potential hazards and associated risk factors. Regarding health, problems related to post weaning diarrhoea, cold stress, skin lesions, endoparasites and post weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome are described. Reasons for distress and frustration in weaned piglets are identified as mainly separation from the mother, a new environment, mixing and fear of humans. Finally, hazards and risk factors for health and welfare in organic weaners are related to animal characteristics, housing systems, feed/nutrition and management. Generally, it is concluded that diseases around weaning are multifactorial in nature, with several factors contributing simultaneously as stressors at the time of weaning. In order to solve problems around weaning, the complexity and the individuality of farm systems need to be taken into account.