Suckling piglet losses in organic pig farming: status quo and practice-based approaches towards reduction – Naturland-Verband für Ökologischen Landbau e.V.

The high mortality rate of piglets can be identified as a problem in organic pig farming. However, piglet losses and their causes are as variable as the conditions on organic operating farms themselves. The various causes and risk factors for increased piglet mortality have been intensively researched in the last decade. Specific recommendations for organic farming have already been derived from these initiatives. However, the research results often relate to small sample sizes and quite specific husbandry environments. For organic pig farming, no comprehensive, up-to-date data is available on piglet losses, the individual housing conditions and the risk factors that actually occur in practice. It is also unclear to what extent the recommendations developed have been received by farmers and whether they have been implemented. This project addresses these issues in order to be able to make direct improvements and recommendations based on practical data for existing organic farms, farms converting to organic farming and policy-makers. Based on the different causes of loss, risk factors and cause complexes can be derived accordingly. – Environmental influences and management (degree of specialisation, personnel, barn construction, husbandry methods) – Selection of breeding animals and genetics used (robustness, maternal behaviour, rearing ability, litter size, piglet size) – Keeping sows and piglets healthy (mastitis-metritis-agalactia syndrome, iron supply, vaccination and hygiene management, and nutrition)