Fine balance between welfare and profitability

Pig producers could be compromising profitability by implementing too high welfare standards on their farm.

Grant Walling, managing director of JSR Genetics, said there was an optimum level of welfare which maximised productivity and profits to their full potential, but if welfare was increased above this level profits would fall dramatically.

“The general trends show that as you increase welfare standards, you decrease profitability measures,” he said.

Dr Walling explained this was because some welfare standards required producers to decrease stocking density or increase weaning age, thus reducing the productivity of their system.

Freedom Food, organic and British standard outdoor systems were all cited as examples of poorer productivity.

“Depending on which methods you use to measure productivity, it can have a negative effect on figures like the number of pigs sold a sow a year or the kilogrammes of meat sold a square metre.”

But he warned compromising welfare too much could result in animals becoming less productive.

“If the stocking density is too tight animals can’t get to the feed and more die,” he added.

Instead, he said producers should take a carefully balanced approach to welfare and productivity to maximise full potential.

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