Enhancing Swine Welfare: A Path to Sustainable Farming with Zinpro®

The Importance of Animal Welfare in Swine Farming 

As consumers continue to demand more transparent and sustainable food animal production practices, the swine industry faces increasing pressure to demonstrate a strong commitment to animal welfare. Prioritizing animal health and wellbeing not only benefits the pigs but also on-farm employees and consumers. Implementing practices such as providing enrichment materials like straw, comfortable resting surfaces and proper nutrition can mitigate common stressors. These advancements are essential for the global swine industry to meet consumer demands and ensure long-term sustainability. 

Good Welfare is Essential for Pig Health

Inadequate welfare practices can lead to reduced productivity and profitability. Difficulty in coping with an insufficient environment can trigger a stress response in gilts and sows, producing hormones that negatively impact their internal processes. This often results in less resilience throughout the animal’s lifetime, affecting productivity, redirecting energy from growth and reproduction to survival and leading to prenatal stress that impacts piglet development. Additionally, immunosuppression, reduced feed efficiency, animal lameness and reduced disease resistance are common consequences of poor welfare. These challenges highlight the need for maintaining high welfare standards to ensure animal health, productivity and wellbeing. 

The Role of Nutrition in Animal Welfare 

Addressing the role of nutrition in animal welfare is necessary for improving swine health and productivity. Zinpro^® Minerais de desempenho^® play a significant part in mitigating inflammation and preventing claw lesions which are key factors in maintaining animal welfare. 

For example, studies have shown that supplementing sows with Zinpro^® Zinpro Availa^® Sow can improve hoof quality, minimize potential damage and decrease overall inflammation. This leads to improved sow retention, a reduction in lameness and mortality rates and enhanced productivity and profitability for swine operations.  By incorporating Zinpro into gilt and sow diets, producers can support swine health and the industry sustainably.  

Proof of Performance

A sow operation concerned about increased lameness in their herd implemented Zinpro Availa Sow as part of a strategic plan to reverse this trend. After the first year, they observed a 2.5% reduction in sows culled or euthanized due to lameness, which further improved to a 5% reduction after four years on the product. This data comes from more than 29,000 sows and is reported as a percentage of total sow inventory.  

The Path to Sustainable Swine Farming

Efficient swine farming relies on a commitment to making your pigs comfortable and healthy. Zinpro offers a proven approach by ensuring that gilts and sows receive the necessary nutrients to support growth, reproduction and overall health. This helps reduce systemic inflammation, improves hoof quality and maintains sow mobility and productivity. By addressing both welfare and nutritional challenges, swine farmers can achieve long-term sustainability and profitability.  Discover ways to optimize your cost of production and unlock your pigs’ potential from sows to finish with Zinpro. 

Want to take a deeper dive?  Sign up today to receive our eBook, Improving Animal Welfare for More Sustainable Swine Farming, Support Swine Health and Industry Sustainability with Nutritional Solutions from Zinpro. 

---