Organic animal husbandry has received a lot of criticism lately. The aim of this literature review was to examine if the rules and principles of organic pig farming give better or worse welfare in comparison to the conventional systems in Sweden. Health, physiology and behaviour have been used as indicators of welfare in this study. This is due to the importance of using more than one indicator in welfare assessments. Studies have shown that organic pigs have more remarks on joints when slaughtered, but these remarks can be reduced by vaccination against erysipelas.

The aim of this study was to detect antibodies in swine serum against proteins in soy beans, wheat, oat and barley. Two methods were used: agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID), and SDS-PAGE followed by immunoblotting. The sera examined originated (I) from piglets younger than one week (negative control), (II) pigs from a feed trial with soy bean in a herd with PMWS, and (III) pigs inoculated with Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Escherichia coli after being fed with soy. The AGID-test was negative concerning all examined sera which were analysed against proteins in soy bean, wheat, oat and barley. In the experiment based on immunoblot antibodies were demonstrated within all three groups of examined pigs.

The purpose with this study was to find out if tailbiting pigs have a higher or lower daily weight gain than non-tailbiting pigs in the same pen before tailbitingbehaviour occur. The purpose was also to compare the occurrence of tailbiting between different breeds (Swedish Landrace, Yorkshire and Hampshire). Tailbiting among pigs has been a problem for pigfarmers a long time. Tailbiting means reduced animal welfare for the pig and economical loss for the farmer. The results of this study are based on statistical analyses.

Pigs are often mentioned as relatively intelligent animals when compared to other nonhuman species. Despite this knowledge, the vast majority of pigs are kept under conditions that lack opportunities to satisfy their cognitive needs. Therefore, a need to evaluate the present scientific studies about pig cognition was acknowledged, in order to evaluate to what extent the knowledge is applied in the husbandry of finishing pigs. If a considerable lack of application was determined, suggestions about how to use the obtained information to improve pig welfare were also to be made. A synthesis of the present literature was made, and it could be concluded that a considerable amount of studies had been carried out in the present area. The pigs of today appear to have the same behavioural and cognitive needs as their ancestor, the wild boar.

Animal welfare is of increasing concern in present society. In commercial pig farming, animal welfare problems are common. One of the causes for these problems is the barren environment in which pigs are housed, which can cause oral manipulation of pen mates. Providing straw might be one solution to this problem. Another solution could be reached through genetic selection.

This literature study deals with the pig industry and how group size and available floor area affects the animal welfare and the production results. It shows that both the pigs? welfare and production result can be affected negatively if the environment seems stressful for the pigs, and if they are housed in a narrow area. If the pigs are being exposed to either physiological or psychological stress factors their immune system can be decreased and the growth can be impaired. Influence by the social status of the pigs is also reviewed.

We all know that water is very important for both animals and humans. When we are weaning the piglets from the sow we must guarantee that the piglets can start to drink more water instead of sow milk. The first thing to check is always the quality of the water that is to be used. To secure that, you must take a water sample. If the water is inadequate it can bring a lot of problems and diseases.

Tail-biting in pigs is an animal welfare issue and in Sweden during 2002 the producers lost tree million Swedish crowns because of tail biting. This economic loss depends on the pigs which are discarded at slaughter because of tail biting. Tail biting can be separated into two stages, "pre-injury" and "injury". The aim of this study is to investigate if tail biting depends on environment or genetic background.A lot of research on the environments effects on the behaviour of pigs but not so much on the genetic effects has been performed. The frequency of tail biting in pig farms influence among others of environment enrichment, ventilation, gender and breed of the pig.

Background:It is estimated that one in ten children witness domestic violence. It is of importance that children grow up in a safe environment. When they grow up with domestic violence they can lose very important skills which can be hard to gain back. Children respond to domestic violence in different ways depending on their age. Aim: The aim of this study was to enlighten children's experiences of domestic violence in their home.

The occurrence and degree of osteochondrosis was studied in 64 pigs raised in conventional systems (45) or organically according to KRAVs principles (19). In this blind study the growth plates of distal radius and ulna were examined macroscopically and radiologically searching for pathological lesions. One significant difference was shown in this study. Conventionally raised pigs diagnosed with osteochondrosis had more severe lesions in the distal growth plate of radius and ulna than the corresponding group of pigs raised organically. No significant difference was shown between the groups when all pigs were included. .

Tail-biting in pigs is an animal welfare issue and in Sweden during 2002 the producers lost tree million Swedish crowns because of tail biting. This economic loss depends on the pigs which are discarded at slaughter because of tail biting. Tail biting can be separated into two stages, "pre-injury" and "injury". The aim of this study is to investigate if tail biting depends on environment or genetic background.A lot of research on the environments effects on the behaviour of pigs but not so much on the genetic effects has been performed. The frequency of tail biting in pig farms influence among others of environment enrichment, ventilation, gender and breed of the pig.

Tail-biting in pigs is an animal welfare issue and in Sweden during 2002 the producers lost tree million Swedish crowns because of tail biting. This economic loss depends on the pigs which are discarded at slaughter because of tail biting. Tail biting can be separated into two stages, "pre-injury" and "injury". The aim of this study is to investigate if tail biting depends on environment or genetic background.A lot of research on the environments effects on the behaviour of pigs but not so much on the genetic effects has been performed. The frequency of tail biting in pig farms influence among others of environment enrichment, ventilation, gender and breed of the pig.

Tail-biting in pigs is an animal welfare issue and in Sweden during 2002 the producers lost tree million Swedish crowns because of tail biting. This economic loss depends on the pigs which are discarded at slaughter because of tail biting. Tail biting can be separated into two stages, "pre-injury" and "injury". The aim of this study is to investigate if tail biting depends on environment or genetic background.A lot of research on the environments effects on the behaviour of pigs but not so much on the genetic effects has been performed. The frequency of tail biting in pig farms influence among others of environment enrichment, ventilation, gender and breed of the pig.

Stunning of pigs at slaughter constitutes of primarily two methods; carbon dioxide and electricity. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages from an animal welfare point of view. The purpose of this study is to compare different methods of stunning pigs from a welfare point of view. Questions included in the study are 1) What differences are there, from an animal welfare point of view, between CO2 and electricity as methods for stunning pigs? 2) What alternatives are there to the methods currently in use? 3) Which method for stunning pigs is preferable from an animal welfare point of view?This report is a literature review.

Diabetes mellitus is a rising epidemic throughout the world and there is currently great interest in quantifying the beta-cell mass (BCM) in vivo non-invasively. In the present experiment, the feasibility of in vivo imaging of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) in beta-cells was examined, using the positron emission tomography (PET) tracer [68Ga]Ga-DO3A-VS-Cys40-exendin-4 as a marker, in native pancreatic beta-cells of a porcine diabetic animal model and healthy controls. Eight Swedish high-health Domestic pigs were randomly assigned to be either controls or made diabetic using streptozotocin (STZ). The experiment proceeded during eight weeks, starting with an acclimatisation period. Once the pigs had been socialised they underwent surgery for the insertion of a jugular vein catheter, allowing induction of diabetes with STZ, intravenous (i.v.) injections and stress-free blood sampling. Development of diabetes was confirmed by clinical examinations, blood glucose values and insulin-staining of pancreatic sections post mortem. The diabetic pigs were insulin treated and responded well.