United States: agreement reached on sow housing

Members of the AVMA House of Delegates voted in July to edit Association policy to add statements that pregnant sows should have enough space to assume normal postures and that housing and management systems for these animals should reduce exposure to conditions that result in distress and fear. The adjusted policy also encourages research on pregnant sow needs and training for those who work with sows.

The AVMA House of Delegates modified the policy “Pregnant Sow Housing” to state, in part, that housing should do the following:

• Provide every animal access to appropriate food and water;
• Promote good air quality and allow proper sanitation;
• Protect sows from environmental extremes;
• Reduce exposure to hazards or conditions that result in injuries, pain, distress, fear or disease;
• Facilitate the observation of individual sows to assess their welfare;
• Provide sows with adequate quality and quantity of space that allows sows to assume normal postures and express normal patterns of behavior.

The AVMA Board of Directors submitted the resolution per recommendations from the Animal Welfare Committee. The American Association of Swine Veterinarians and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association both supported it.