We are still many years away from rearing pigs with undocked tails, as no farm or system is built to cater for it, German pig consultant specialising in behavioural and metabolic disorders Mirjam Lechner has said.

The comments came during the second session of the Irish Pig Health Society virtual symposium series 2021, which highlighted various practices for improving pig health and welfare.

“We have all our conventional program and the producing system was optimised on cutting tails. It's more difficult to raise in a conventional farm, there is more space and straw needed, but it is possible,” Lechner said.

European legislation dictates that pig tail docking is not allowed to be performed routinely. Nevertheless, it is still practiced in most countries.

Identifying symptoms

Lechner warned farmers that tail biting generally doesn’t arise as a result of boredom, but rather health issues among the pigs.

“Most times where long tails are failing it is not because the pigs are bored. There must be a big issue that causes the pigs to hurt one another. It is an interaction between health, behaviour and metabolism,” Lechner said.

“Environment enrichment is more so just to add stuff to play with. When the pigs are not able to deal with the challenges, then we have symptoms and lesions, as the immune system fails.

“You then make an identification of the symptoms and behaviour that leads to the root causes. Identifying the symptoms leads to finding a way to get the problem under control.”

Immune challenges

Lechner highlights that one of the main causes of tail biting is when the immune system becomes challenged.

“Approximately 70% of our immune system is in the gut. Pigs get rid of their heat using contact. Plastic floors don’t allow heat loss and heat stress affects the gut barrier.

“So we try to get the pigs in balance and get enough air and oxygen into the unit. We offer a microclimate.”