Animal Welfare and Stress

Pig welfare has been receiving a tremendous amount of attention in both scientific literature and in public policy analysis. The UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (2013) and Crown legislation both offer detailed guidelines for humane pig husbandry. Central to pig welfare is the reduction of stress within the farm environment. Current policy and legislation covers such issues as pen size, prevention of fighting amongst pigs, castration, sanitation, and feeding.

However, tail docking -- the cutting of pig tails -- remains relatively common practice even in the UK, where pig welfare rules are stricture than they are in the European Union given the latter's continued routine practice of castration ("Balancing Pig Welfare, Castration and Boar Taint," 2009).

Whereas UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (2013) advocates against tail docking as a means to reduce pig-on-pig aggression, it does admit to the usefulness of the practice as a "last resort." Separating pigs and reducing stocking densities is mandated as a first resort, but research on pig behaviour is emerging that can help provide a secondary solution for pig farmers that will help curtail the practice of pig tail docking. Based on studies on pig tail posture, farmers can be trained to identify and respect pig emotions.

Detecting the early warning signs of stress will help prevent pig aggression on farms, thereby reducing farmer reliance on cruel and unnecessary methods like tail docking. Ultimately it is proposed that an outright ban on tail docking be instated, given the clear ability of farmers to identify stress signals in pigs. Objectives Until relatively recently, the function of the tail in domesticated pigs has been ambiguous.

Emerging literature shows that domesticated pigs exhibit predictable tail responses under certain conditions (Groffen 2012; Kleinbeck & Mcglone, n.d.; Reimert, Bolhuis, Kemp & Rodenburg, 2013a, Reimert, Bolhuis, Kemp & Rodenburg, 2013b). Based on these and related studies on observable, measurable responses to stress, pig farmers can be trained and mandated to monitor their livestock more closely for signs of stress. Increased awareness of pig tail position among pig farmers will greatly enhance the humane treatment of pigs and promote general animal welfare objectives.

Programme of Work The current research will contribute to the growing body of evidence that can be used to support policy change in the area of pig welfare specifically. This will be a single study, performed on a random selection of domesticated pig (sus scrofa domesticus) farms. The study will be experimental and observational in nature, involving a control group consisting of farms that do not make any changes to their pig husbandry procedures, but whose practices are nevertheless monitored to ensure they ascribe to current UK guidelines.

The experimental group will consist of a number of pig farms (ten farms will be contacted) willing to participate in the research. To minimize the interference of breed-specific behavioral differences, the research will only be conducted on the generic sus scrofa domesticus farms rather than on farms with heritage breeds. The study will last for the duration of six months, which is about twice as long as most previous studies on pig tails, in order to provide what can be considered a longitudinal analysis of changes to pig behavior.

In addition to regular observation, which will consist of camera placements in the pig pens, the researchers will also design a training intervention for the pig farmers in which the principles of tail positioning in pigs will be taught. A comprehensive training program will be grounded in the scientific literature showing, for instance, that an erect tail signals a calm mood and a tail in the down position signals stress (Kleinbeck & Mcglone, n.d.).

The experimental group will also be given several stimuli and environmental situations intended to promote calm and reduce stress in the pig environment, including: • Regular touching by trusted handlers • The playing of classical music in the pen for one hour periods four times per day These additional interventions will be used to highlight the importance of human factors in reducing stress in the pig farm environment.

The former, regular touching, has been shown to elicit positive tail responses (happy and erect tails) in pigs (Kleinbeck & Mcglone, n.d.). The pigs in the experimental group will also be observed for their responses to various perceived stressors. Stressors will not be introduced for ethical purposes. Pigs do demonstrate emotional contagion (Reimert, Bolhuis, Kemp & Rodenburg, 2013a; Reimert, Bolhuis, Kemp & Rodenburg, 2013b). Emotional contagion causes stress to spread among pigs sharing the same pen.

Reducing stress throughout the pen becomes critical to pig behavioral management and to promoting pig welfare. The overall aim of the study is to reduce pig stress, and thereby reduce or eliminate the unnecessary practice of tail docking. In fact, farmer fears of biting may be fueling pig anxiety. "Data suggests that tail biting can be managed to an acceptable level even without tail docking, by correcting the production system to better meet the basic needs of the pigs," (Valros & Heinonen, 2015, p. 1).

A small amount of tail biting is inevitable, as pigs will naturally vie for limited space in the pen and particularly as they age, demonstrate dominance and aggression. It is hypothesized that more strident behavior management techniques, based primarily on tail position observations, can help reduce biting instances and minimize harm. If the goal is to eliminate tail docking, then numerous steps must be taken to train humans, more so than pigs. Pigs will be observed during their typical course of farm life in both experimental and control groups.

No stressors will be introduced to the pigs in the experimental group, as it is presumed that sufficient stress will exist in the day-to-day life of the pigs. Instead, the researchers will continually observe the pigs via the digital cameras placed in the pens and take note of tail movements and changes linked to changes in environmental stimuli including feeding times. All instances of biting will be recorded and tabulated for both the experimental and the control groups.

At the conclusion of the six-month period, the total number of biting incidents will be compared to determine whether the training program for handlers and the calming music and touch interventions had an impact on creating peaceful emotional contagion among the observed pig sample. Additionally, farmers will be interviewed at the conclusion of the study to provide their feedback on the training program and their views toward pig welfare in general.

Ethical Justification The 3Rs provide the ethical "framework conducting high quality science in the academic and industrial sectors with more focus on developing alternative approaches which avoid the use of animals," (National Centre for the Replacement Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, 2016). In this case, human behavior management replaces tail docking and refines the animal husbandry practices used in pig farming. Future research may also include methods of reducing the number of pigs held within each pen in order to further reduce stress.

Tail docking is well documented as "a welfare problem, as it causes pain to the pigs, and facilitates suboptimal production methods from a welfare point-of-view," (Valros & Heinonen, 2015, p. 1). This is why tail docking practices are restricted.