Real Welfare measure explained for assessors

BPEX, the company that represents England's pig levy payers, has released a briefing note to explain the value of measuring enrichment in pigs and the science behind it.

The briefing comes just months after Real Welfare assessments of finisher pigs were introduced to the Red Tractor standards, which has sparked much discussion.

Assessments are required to measure hospital pigs, lameness, tail lesions, body marks and – an area which BPEX has now addressed – enrichment use.

The briefing note explains that recording pigs' use of different types of enrichment on a large scale will help identify which types of object are fulfilling the objective of enriching the pigs' environment.

Good use of enrichment within a pen of growing pigs, according to BPEX, has been shown to have a protective effect against abnormal behaviours such as tail and ear biting, aggression and vulva biting in sows.

BPEX goes on to explain that enrichment scoring provides additional information to assist with the four "more direct" Real Welfare measures, using the example that, if a high level of tail biting is observed but the majority of active pigs are manipulating enrichment objects or substrate, then lack of enrichment is unlikely to be a contributory factor.

The company also delves into the science of animal behaviour and how this can be used in the evaluation of a wide range of both health and welfare issues, as well as being a reliable, non-invasive indicator of an animal's ability to cope with its environment.

"While this may appear to be a rudimentary method of recording behaviour, it focuses on one practical question, rather than trying to examine all possible activities of pigs in the pen," commented BPEX.

"The scoring protocols have been developed as a robust way of assessing enrichment use by pigs, which complements the most direct measures and assists in addressing underlying causes."

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