Välfärd i ekologisk och konventionell grishållning

Abstract: Organic animal husbandry has received a lot of criticism lately. The aim of this literature review was to examine if the rules and principles of organic pig farming give better or worse welfare in comparison to the conventional systems in Sweden. Health, physiology and behaviour have been used as indicators of welfare in this study. This is due to the importance of using more than one indicator in welfare assessments. Studies have shown that organic pigs have more remarks on joints when slaughtered, but these remarks can be reduced by vaccination against erysipelas. Respiratory diseases were significantly more common indoors. Different studies showed different results of which system that caused more liver damage. Mange was more common outdoors than indoors but can be treated when symptoms occur. The physiological parameters showed that pigs who lived outdoors were more stressed but also more stress resistant. Behavioural studies showed that pigs in enriched pens were calmer and showed more exploratory behaviour, thus one can assume that outdoor living pigs mostly are affected by natural positive stress. Stress caused by fluctuations in temperature can be taken care of by correctly designed huts and by giving the pigs access to mud bathing. Pigs outdoors have been proved to perform a greater repertoire of behaviour and less abnormal behavior than pigs indoors. It was difficult to see any difference in welfare between organic and conventional pigs outdoors but it seems reasonable that the most correct in an animal welfare ethical view is to keep pigs outdoors.