During pre-slaughter handling of Pigs the animals are often subjected to methods that induces stress and are a threat to the wellbeing of the animals, such as mixing of groups, loud noise and transportation. A new law will be implemented in 2006 in Sweden that prohibits mechanical noise exceeding 65 dB in abattoirs. The purpose of the research presented in this paper was to examine the effects of noise and transportation on pig behaviour. The activity and aggressiveness of the Pigs were examined with behavioural studies during transportation and during three different noise levels: 55, 75 and 95 dB. Before the noise treatments took place the groups were mixed and half of them were transported for approximately 2 hours. In the study 432 Pigs were used.

With a starting point in the legislation for organic production set up by the Swedishcertification organization KRAV, the reasons to why these regulations are important isexplained and how Pigs are affected by these rules. The study also shows how well the Pigscope in the organic environment considering the origin of the genetic material; from theconventional pig population. The conclusion is that Pigs do function fairly well in the organicproduction environment and the traits affecting their functionality involve: motheringabilities, strong legs, good meat quality, good sow durability and longevity, capacity to eatmuch roughage and dark skin color. There are however still many ways of improving theorganic population of Pigs to make them more adjusted to the organic environment; forexample different traits brought into the breeding goals and the choice of good parent animals..

With a starting point in the legislation for organic production set up by the Swedishcertification organization KRAV, the reasons to why these regulations are important isexplained and how Pigs are affected by these rules. The study also shows how well the Pigscope in the organic environment considering the origin of the genetic material; from theconventional pig population. The conclusion is that Pigs do function fairly well in the organicproduction environment and the traits affecting their functionality involve: motheringabilities, strong legs, good meat quality, good sow durability and longevity, capacity to eatmuch roughage and dark skin color. There are however still many ways of improving theorganic population of Pigs to make them more adjusted to the organic environment; forexample different traits brought into the breeding goals and the choice of good parent animals..

Virulent strains of Staphylococcus hyicus produce exfoliative toxins and cause a potentially fatal skin disease in piglets known as exudative epidermitis. Vaccines and antimicrobials are used to control the disease. Antimicrobial resistance and the prevalence of several different toxin genes and toxigenic strains make it problematic. The aim of this literature study was to identify potential differences between countries and between healthy and diseased Pigs regarding antimicrobial resistance and toxin-producing strains. Great differences could influence vaccine production, treatment strategies and surveillance programs.

African swine fever, ASF, was first described 1921, in Kenya. The virus has thereafter spread through many African countries as well as in Europe, Asia, South- and Central America. The virus is spread via three different cycles, of which one is sylvatic and includes warthogs and soft ticks. The other two are between domestic Pigs and the one most common one is caused by humans, who not always realize the seriousness of precautions. The infection manifests as hemorrhagic fever, but can also be more or less unnoticed. The aim of this study was to use molecular tools to detect and partly genetically characterize ASFV both in soft ticks and in serum from domestic Pigs in Uganda. Comparing viruses detected in ticks with those detected in domestic Pigs I also wanted to investigate possible links between the sylvatic and domestic cycle.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is one of the most serious transboundary swine diseases because of its high lethality for Pigs, socioeconomic consequences, rapid and international spread and the absence of either treatment or vaccine. This Sida Minor Field Study (MFS) was carried out during fall 2010, as part of a larger collaborative research project called ASFUganda, focusing on the epidemiology of the disease in Uganda. The aim with this study was to get more knowledge about the pathology in cases of ASF in Uganda, by studying macroscopic and microscopic lesions in Pigs with acute and chronic ASF and to detect the ASF virus (ASFV) in tissues by immunohistochemistry. The Pigs were selected from the two different geographical locations in Uganda, Mityana and Gulu district, both with on going confirmed outbreaks of ASF. Necropsies were performed in the field, and the laboratory procedures at the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Veterinary Pathology Laboratory, Entebbe, Uganda, and at the Department of BVF, SLU, Uppsala, Sweden. Three Pigs from an outbreak of ASF in Mityana district showed both the history and the clinical symptoms typical for ASF.

Pigs kept for meatproduction are often surgically castrated to prevent aggression and boartainted meat. Castration without analgesia and anesthesia is painful and causes a lot of stress to the pig. There are alternatives such as to surgically castrate the male Pigs with analgesia and/or with anesthesia, immunocastrate or keep them as intact males. In Sweden the most common practice is to surgically castrate the Pigs before they are seven days old. The impact on the pig is that the incision causes pain and stress, which may lead to changes in behaviour, reduced appetite, reduced growth and a higher risk of infections.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is one of the leading causes of acute encephalitis in humans. The virus is spread by mosquitoes, mainly belonging to the Culex species. The main reservoirs are considered to be birds and Pigs, with Pigs constituting the most important reservoir in regard to human infection. During the last few decades the production of pork has increased significantly in Vietnam. With 90% of Pigs being kept in households owning 10 Pigs or less, Pigs are widely spread across most parts of the country.

The purpose with this work was to investigate some alternatives for an effective handling with grain, to find the most economic alternative. It is not common that moisture content is below 14% when harvesting grain in Sweden. To store the grain safe it has to be preserved in some way. I have described some of the most common systems for preserving grain in this paper. I have used the systems as a basis when I made calculations in handling the grain for a company. I have chosen a company placed in south of Sweden. The productions are crop farming and pork.

The guinea pig is an important meat-producing animal in Peru as well as in several other South American countries. They are held in different kinds of systems, from the small backyard breeders with few animals to the large commercial farms with thousands of guinea Pigs. One of the major issues at the farms is animals dying of unknown causes. Salmonellosis is often considered as a major cause, but samples for confirmation are rarely taken. It has been known for a long time that Clostridium difficile (C.

Animal welfare is impaired if the diet does not provide sufficient feeling of satiety or the ability to perform natural feeding behavior. Pigs are omnivores and spend most of the day searching for food by rooting, grazing and chewing. Both inability to perform foraging behavior and insufficient feeling of satiety often leads to direction of foraging behavior towards stereotyped and abnormal oral behavior. Dry sows are often fed restrictively which leads to unsatisfied feeling of hunger. Dietary fiber has been found to reduce stereotypic and abnormal behavior as well as aggression, which could indicate that Pigs need to forage has been met giving a feeling of satiety.

Animal welfare is impaired if the diet does not provide sufficient feeling of satiety or the ability to perform natural feeding behavior. Pigs are omnivores and spend most of the day searching for food by rooting, grazing and chewing. Both inability to perform foraging behavior and insufficient feeling of satiety often leads to direction of foraging behavior towards stereotyped and abnormal oral behavior. Dry sows are often fed restrictively which leads to unsatisfied feeling of hunger. Dietary fiber has been found to reduce stereotypic and abnormal behavior as well as aggression, which could indicate that Pigs need to forage has been met giving a feeling of satiety.

Male piglets have been castrated for centuries to avoid contamination of their meat with boar taint, a strongly unpleasant odour that makes the meat inedible. Today boar taint can be prohib-ited by vaccination against gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) using Improvac®. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of vaccination on growth performance and behaviour of vaccinated male Pigs compared to surgically castrated male Pigs. The effect of two feeding regimes, restricted (SLU-norm) and semi ad libitum, was also included in the study. At birth, Pigs (n=206) were randomly allocated to the two treatment groups; surgically castrated and vaccination.

The aim of this study was to investigate if the botanical composition of haylage affects pH, dry matter content and microbial composition of the faeces in horse and pig and ileal environment in Pigs. Two separate studies were conducted where Pigs and horses were fed two diets containing haylages with different botanical composition. The first haylage was from a tilled land dominated by timothy and meadow fescue and the other haylage came from a meadowland with a large inclusion of dandelion, 25 % and common couch. The dry matter content (70.8 % and 73.0 % respectively) and the pH-value (5.7) were similar in both feeds. The first study was made as a three-periods switch-back study with 7 Standardbred horses. In the first and the third period, 7 and 9 days long respectively, the diet consisted of the haylage from the tilled land, oats, sugar beet pulp, soy bean oil meal, lucerne pellets and brewers yeast.

In organic animal production, synthetic amino acids are not allowed. Therefore, a higher level of crude protein is needed in the diet to Pigs, which lead to more nitrogen (N) excreted in the faeces and urine. N can be emitted to the air in the form of e.g. ammonia (NH3), which contributes to eutrophication and acidification and as nitrous oxide (N2O), which is a very potent greenhouse gas. The emission of N can be reduced by e.g.