Questionnaire use to assess knowledge an insertion of animal welfare science in swine production

Abstract

Rational management has been cited as paramount to animal production. Among the leading factors is the behavior of handler with pigs and its influence on animal welfare. Training and employee satisfaction directly reflect animals treatment and system productivity. Some procedures considered basic cause stress due to aggression or wrong handling. Tooth wear is cited among the largest pain causers to animals. The practice of cutting or rubbing teeth of piglets is performed in the first hours of life to reduce skin lesions in piglets and mammary apparatus of matrices. Vocalization is used to measure welfare, being defined as sound formation in certain organs as the result of external factors. Energy, frequency and duration of vocalizations are performed according to the type of need, allowing the identification of pain vocalization from screams or shouting, described as different from other vocalizations. This study was conducted with arrays sows and their litters to wear or not piglets teeth  on the second day of infants treatment. One questionnaire containing ten questions about behavior, welfare and humanitarian interactions with animals was prepared and answered by 23 academics, teachers, researchers, and farm staff. Among all answers, none of them was unanimous. About the question referred to piglets€™ vocalization, 45% answered that piglets screaming when wear because they feel pain, 18% believe that sometimes they feel pain, 23% believe that rarely they feel pain and 14% believe that they do not feel pain (scream is a natural habit). About the sows€™ behavior, 55% of respondents were aware that confined females exhibit aggressive behavior with employees because management is erroneous. However, 1% believes that females are aggressive because they are not good mothers, i.e., those people may be unaware of pigs maternal ability or do not believe that option. Considering environment, 83% of respondents believe climate is important for raising pigs. Regarding frequency of lesions on piglets face and matrices teat, 52% of respondents believe that it is normal and frequent, 22% do not believe, 17% maybe believe and 9% did not know. About the importance of analyzing behavior of arrays and piglets during creation, 77% of respondents valued this analysis, 14% and 9% sometimes and none of the respondent did not believe in the significance of these observations. For 74% of the participating, animal welfare is relevant in pig farms, 26% believe in some cases and none of them disregards the importance, representing evolution, even if slow. Finally, 78% of respondents considered themselves professionals concerned with animals welfare, while 17% considered only a few times, 4% maybe and none of them do not believe to be concerned. Animal welfare reached all categories of pig production and is important for animals´ quality of life. However, further research is needed to demonstrate these results.