Studies in Spain explore different animal welfare alternatives to tail docking in piglets

Tail biting in pigs is a significant welfare issue, with serious economic consequences for commercial pig production. It affects the health status of the herd on the farm, reduces carcass weight, and increases the culling of carcasses. It is well known that the cause of tail-biting behavior is multifactorial, making it difficult to predict and control. Tail docking is widely used to control biting and reduce injuries detected on the farm and at the slaughterhouse. However, tail docking is a painful and stressful procedure and, therefore, has raised social concerns. Although systematic tail docking is prohibited in the EU, it is still used and accepted in practice when biting occurs and all other possibilities to reduce this behavior have proven ineffective. Moreover, it is still permitted and regularly performed in China, the U.S., and Brazil, which are global leaders in pig production in terms of volume. Animal welfare alternatives to tail docking in piglets Although different ...