World total 986.6 | ||
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Pig farming is the raising and breeding of domestic pigs. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Pigs are raised principally as food (e.g. pork, bacon, gammon) and sometimes for their skin.
Contents
- Use as food
- Production and trade
- Relationship between handlers and pigs
- Negative interactions
- Positive interactions
- Pig farming terminology
- Pigs for slaughter
- Groups
- Pig parts
- Biology
- Housing
- Ractopamine
- Colistin Antibiotic
- Antibiotics
- References
Pigs are amenable to many different styles of farming. Intensive commercial units, commercial free range enterprises, extensive farming - being allowed to wander around a village, town or city, or tethered in a simple shelter or kept in a pen outside the owners house. Historically pigs were kept in small numbers and were closely associated with the residence of the owner, or in the same village or town. They were valued as a source of meat, fat and for the ability to turn inedible food into meat, and often fed household food waste if kept on a homestead. Pigs have been farmed to dispose of municipal garbage on a large scale.
All these forms of pig farm are in use today. In developed nations, commercial farms house thousands of pigs in climate-controlled buildings. Pigs are a popular form of livestock, with more than one billion pigs killed each year worldwide, 100 million of them in the USA. The majority of pigs are used for human food but also supply skin, fat and other materials for use as clothing, ingredients for processed foods, cosmetics and other and medical use.
The activities on a pig farm depend on the husbandry style of the farmer, and range from very little intervention (as when pigs are allowed to roam villages or towns and dispose of garbage) to intensive systems where the pigs are contained in a building for the majority of their lives. Each pig farm will tend to adapt to the local conditions and food supplies and fit their practices to their specific situation.
The following factors can influence the type of pig farms in any given region:
Use as food
Almost all of the pig can be used as food. Preparations of pig parts into specialties include: sausage, bacon, gammon, ham, skin into pork scratchings, feet into trotters, head into a meat jelly called head cheese (brawn), and consumption of the liver, chitterlings and blood(blood pudding or black pudding). This is also, technically the case for all other mammals. Although the demand isn't really there.
Production and trade
Pigs are farmed in many countries, though the main consuming countries are in Asia, meaning there is a significant international and even intercontinental trade in live and slaughtered pigs. Despite having the world's largest herd, China is a net importer of pigs, and has been increasing its imports during its economic development. The largest exporters of pigs are the United States, European Union, and Canada. As an example, more than half of Canadian production (22.8 million pigs) in 2008 was exported, going to 143 countries. Older pigs will consume eleven to nineteen litres (three to five gallons) of water per day
Relationship between handlers and pigs
The way in which a stockperson interacts with pigs affects animal welfare which in some circumstances can correlate with production measures. Many routine interactions can cause fear, which can result in stress and decreased production.
There are various methods of handling pigs which can be separated into those which lead to positive or negative reactions by the animals. These reactions are based on how the pigs interpret a handler’s behavior.
Negative interactions
Many negative interactions with pigs arise from stockpeople dealing with large numbers of pigs. Because of this, many handlers can become complacent about animal welfare and fail to ensure positive interactions with pigs. Negative interactions include overly-heavy tactile interactions (slaps, punches, kicks and bites), the use of electric goads and fast movements. It can also include killing them. However, it is not a communly held view that death is a negative interaction. These interactions can result in fear in the animals, which can develop into stress. Overly-heavy tactile interactions can cause increased basal cortisol levels (a "stress" hormone). Negative interactions that cause fear mean the escape reactions of the pigs can be extremely vigorous, thereby risking injury to both stock and handlers. Although the stock is not at risk by his own fault. Stress can result in immunosuppression, leading to an increased susceptibility to disease. Studies have shown that these negative handling techniques result in an overall reduction in growth rates of pigs, and an overall increase to the suffering in the world.
Positive interactions
Various interactions can be considered either positive or neutral. Neutral interactions are considered positive because, in conjunction with positive interactions, they contribute to an overall non-negative relationship between a stockperson and the stock. Pigs are often fearful of fast movements. When entering a pen, it is good practice for a stockperson to enter with slow and deliberate movements. These minimize fear and therefore reduce stress. Pigs are very curious animals. Allowing the pigs to approach and smell whilst patting or resting a hand on the pig's back are examples of positive behavior. Pigs also respond positively to verbal interaction. Minimising fear of humans allow handlers to perform husbandry practices in a safer and more efficient manner. By reducing stress, stock are more comfortable to feed when near handlers, resulting in increased productivity. In other words, pigs are very social and intelligent animals, and if they are tricked into trusting their abusers, better meat can be obtained. Prohand for pigs is a training program that teaches handlers to interact with pigs in a way that promotes safe handling. It promotes the development of positive behaviors and elimination of negative behaviors. This program has been seen to improve productivity without any capital investment.
Pig farming terminology
Pigs are extensively farmed, and therefore the terminology is well developed:
Pigs for slaughter
Groups
Pig parts
Biology
Housing
Ractopamine
Most pigs in America get ractopamine to put on more muscle instead of fat, to put on weight more quickly, to reduce costs and to reduce pollutants in the environment because pigs on ractopamine do not need as much feed to reach finishing weight and do not produce as much manure. However, ractopamine has not been approved for use by the European Union, China, Russia and several other countries.
Colistin (Antibiotic)
China was using colistin as growth promoter ( subtherapeutic antibiotic use ) but after the emergence of colistin resistance pig ( pig with mcr-1 gene ) in intensive farm near Shanghai year 2013 then the spread of mcr-1 colistin resistant gene, 26 july 2016 China started to ban colistin as growth promoter.
Antibiotics
China uses sulfamethazine, bacitracin, chlortetracycline, tetracycline, florfenicol, sulfonamide, doxycycline, oxytetracycline, fluoroquinolone, macrolide, trimethoprim, stop using colistin in 26 july 2016.