Is antibiotic reduction related to pig welfare?

Jan 03, 2023

Inappropriate use of antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistance. Although several countries banned the use of antibiotics for growth promotion and prophylactic purposes, the global use of antibiotics is still quite extensive. Therefore, it is important to identify the main on-farm stressors in intensive swine production systems, to evaluate their negative impacts on pig health and welfare, and to find strategies to assess how welfare and health improvement of pigs contribute to antibiotic reduction in swine industry.

Animal welfare and environmental issues have been major concerns in the past decades. According to the World Organization for Animal Health “an animal experiences good welfare if it is healthy, comfortable, well-nourished, safe, is not suffering from unpleasant states, such as pain, fear, and distress, and is able to express behaviours that are important for its physical and mental state”.

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Video: Season 7, Episode 1: Managing Risk and Seeing Opportunities in U.S. Pork Production

Today’s episode features three guests discussing the similarities and differences between pork production in the United States and Brazil, along with strategies for managing risk in today’s industry while recognizing and acting on opportunities. First, Dr. Anne Caroline de Lara, executive manager of live pig production at Seara Alimentos, a JBS company in Brazil, is joined by Dr. Matthew Turner, head of operations for JBS Live Pork. Together, they discuss how labor, climate and ventilation challenges vary between Brazil and the United States, while underscoring their shared commitment to raising healthy pigs. They also point to lessons producers in both countries can take from one another’s systems and on-farm experiences. Then, Brady Reicks, risk manager at Reicks View Farms, shares his perspective on risk management, drawing from his background in markets and his transition into farming. He discusses how protecting margins varies by operation and offers practical approaches producers can use to make marketing and business decisions with greater confidence rather than hesitation.

Both conversations were recorded at recent industry events focused on swine livability, including the International Conference on Pig Livability and Iowa Swine Day.