Sow housing: opportunities, constraints, and unknowns.
As Webster has stated, we have real opportunities to provide incremental improvements to a whole range of welfare factors. We need a disciplined approach that takes into account the skills of farmers, veterinarians, and the whole range of other specialists involved in animal agriculture. Improvement is best based on a model of discovery, transparency, and dialogue. Combative models impede discovery and dialogue, and the animals are the most likely to suffer when we create such a scenario. Veterinarians have a real opportunity to aid swine farms in identifying opportunities and allowing for a transparent portrayal of activities on the farm.
Deen
John
J
Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA.
Anil
Sukumarannair S
SS
Anil
Leena
L
D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D017087:Animal Rights; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006799:Housing, Animal / Q000592:standards*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*