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Swine Welfare Assurance Program^SM (SWAP^SM)

Introduction

Although there is no scientific consensus about the ideal tool to measure animal welfare, it is generally accepted that welfare can be determined by assessing the animals' physiology (such as immune function and hormonal status or response), behavior and performance and health. For an accurate picture of welfare, all three areas must be evaluated. Using any one of these parameters as a sole indication of welfare can be misleading.

The need for producers to be able to accurately evaluate and benchmark swine well-being on their farms is evident. To make such a program user-friendly and on-farm applicable, welfare measures must be practical without the need for time consuming and expensive biological testing.

How did the Program Evolve?

The Pork Checkoff has been proactive in addressing swine welfare. The National Pork Board Animal Welfare Committee has been working with an international panel of advisory experts to develop a method by which a pork producer could objectively assess the welfare of their animals at the farm level. The Swine Welfare Indexing System^SM was the first phase of this collaboration and concentrated on the gestating sow housed in stalls, pens and on pasture. Farms of all sizes geographically dispersed across the U.S. participated in the pilot assessments, which were completed early in 2002 by animal and veterinary experts.

The Animal Welfare Committee agreed to expand this Swine Welfare Indexing System^SM to address the well-being of the farrowing sow, neonatal piglets, nursery and finisher pigs. It was renamed the Swine Welfare Assurance Program^SM (SWAP^SM). What is the Swine Welfare Assurance Program^SM?

The Swine Welfare Assurance Program^SM (SWAP^SM) will divide swine production into two stages: 1. Gilts, Sows, boars and Neonatal Piglets, and 2. Nursery and Finisher Pigs, assessing and evaluating swine well-being on farm. This program will be applicable to all sizes and types of production systems throughout the U.S.

 Why is this Program Needed?

The SWAP^SM will provide pork producers with an objective tool to evaluate and continually improve the well-being of their animals. It will provide a guarantee to consumers and outside marketing challenges that U.S. pork producers believe in and provide humane care to their animals.

The National Pork Board encourages producers to complete the voluntary program so they may have increased access to future markets. Packers may require well-being assurance in the future for the animals they purchase. In addition, swine well-being is closely related to productivity, and the SWAP^SM may elicit indicators for decreases in performance. Producers can then address challenges before production suffers.
The Swine Welfare Assurance Program^SM is set to be released by August 2003. Check back for program updates, material availability and future train-the-trainer dates.