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Painful procedures performed on piglets are one of the most important welfare concerns of intensive pig production. For example, teeth resection is a common practice whereby the canine (needle) teeth are clipped or ground to prevent piglet facial and sow teat lesions. Based on a global consumer survey in 2018, 60% of respondents will potentially stop purchasing pork from pigs experiencing painful procedures. In contrast to tail docking and surgical castration, little is known about the risk factors for piglet facial and sow teat lesions and therefore the need for teeth resection. We reviewed the literature to better understand these risk factors and conducted a survey to identify preventative strategies in practice that have enabled producers to avoid teeth resection. For the literature review, we used Web of Science and Google Scholar to include peer-reviewed publications and gray literature. The questionnaire was distributed with convenience sampling to relevant stakeholders. In the questionnaire, information on current on-farm practices regarding teeth resection was collected, including the method, frequency, and reason for conducting teeth resection, and preventative measures used. Preliminary findings of the literature review showed that most studies only focused on teeth resection and its effect on piglet facial and sow teat lesions. Other risk factors identified are litter size, farrowing system and flooring, milk production, management of fostering, flooring, and enrichment. The survey is ongoing and the complete results will be presented during the conference. Our review suggests many risk factors are related to piglet facial and sow teat lesions other than whether or not teeth resection is carried out. There is still a knowledge gap in the understanding of how alleviating these risk factors can prevent said lesions, and further research and dissemination of best practice is needed to explore different solutions instead of solely relying on teeth resection.

Inter-pig aggression is a welfare issue that has undergone extensive research. Although management techniques have proven useful in minimising aggression in research settings, it is not known how often these are used on-farm. One objective of an online survey of North American pork producers was to learn about the housing, ease of handling, and management of nursery to finishing pigs, including what techniques were used to minimise aggression, how useful they were perceived to be and what were potential barriers to their use. Respondents were given a list of techniques to select which ones they used, and indicate how useful they perceived them to be on a five-point scale (‘very useful’ to ‘not useful at all’). A step-wise binomial logistic regression was used to analyse the association between other factors and whether or not respondents reported that at least one technique was used. Respondents (n = 298), had nursery (11,604 ± 4032, range: 1–950,000) and/or finishing pigs (18,999 ± 5789, range: 2–1,500,000), or did not currently have pigs but answered the questions, at the time the survey was completed. Some had pigs of both stages (n = 181), and some had just nursery (n = 24), or finishing (n = 89) pigs. When asked if they regularly re-grouped unfamiliar pigs, 36% of all respondents selected yes (33% at nursery, 25% at finishing). Of all respondents, 53% reported using at least one technique to minimise re-grouping aggression. Techniques reported from most to least useful included: pre-weaning piglet socialisation (n = 19), using mixed weight pens (n = 9), night-time mixing (n = 50), mixing all pigs to a new pen (n = 108), barriers (n = 25), using specific mixing pens (n = 21), odour masking agents (n = 38), pre-exposure in a neighbouring pen (n = 45), and enrichment devices (n = 41). After stepwise selection, the best regression model for predicting the odds of using at least one technique included the factor pig stage (nursery, finisher, or both), as farms specialising in either nursery (P

Farrowing is a critical time for sows and piglets. Poor post-farrowing sow recovery, and piglet mortality represent a welfare concern, as well as an economic loss to the pig industry. Providing a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to the sow post-farrowing may improve sow welfare and productivity and thereby improve health status and welfare of the piglets, which would be of economic benefit to pig producers. This study investigated the production effects of providing the NSAID ketoprofen post-farrowing, to 24 primiparous (gilts) and 32 multiparous (sows) breeding pigs, in a randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Gilts and sows were allocated to receive ketoprofen (treated) or the equivalent volume of saline (control) by intramuscular injection 1.5 hours after the last piglet birth. Data collected included sow feed intake, immune transfer (colostrum and piglet serum immunoglobulin-G (IgG)), nursing behaviour and piglet weight, and mortality. An additional factor in this study was that 13 individuals required additional treatment in the days after farrowing for post-farrowing illness. Therefore, data were analysed using mixed models, including treatment (treated or control), parity group (gilt or sow), and additional treatment (yes or no) as fixed factors. Stepwise binomial logistic regression was used to analyse the association between the experimental factors (treatment, additional treatment, gilt or sow), along with other gilt/sow, litter, and piglet-based measures, with piglet death before weaning. Few treatment effects were seen, with parameters being more affected by whether gilts and sows were treated for illness, or between gilts and sows. The only variable to differ by treatment was suckle grunt duration, which was greater for control compared with treated dams (P = 0.05). Feed consumption was greater for sows compared with gilts on days 6 and 7 post-farrowing, and serum IgG was greater in piglets from sows than gilts (P < 0.05). Feed consumption was reduced in dams needing additional treatment, from days 2-7 post-farrowing, and those developing illness consumed less feed overall (P = 0.004). The best regression model for predicting the odds of a piglet dying before weaning included number born alive (P = 0.03), requiring additional treatment (P = 0.006), being male (P = 0.0005), and pre-farrowing gilt/sow back-fat (P < 0.0001), which increased the log-odds of death, whereas, piglet body weight decreased the log- odds of death (P < 0.0001). This study did not demonstrate clear benefits to ketoprofen, however, high individual variation in piglet mortality, indicates potential for targeted NSAID use.

Commercial pigs globally are routinely mixed into new social groups. This results in regrouping aggression predominantly during the first 24 h which compromises welfare and productivity. Chronic aggression persists thereafter and is also undesirable. Management strategies are needed that reduce the costs of aggression in both of these contexts. Pigs vary greatly in aggressive behaviour and numbers of skin lesions. This study examined how regrouping behaviour affects immediate and long-term lesion counts with a specific focus on understanding the behaviour of pigs with few lesions in both social contexts. Aggressive behaviour from 1163 growing pigs was observed for 24 h post-regrouping and fresh lesions were counted 24 h and 3 weeks post-regrouping. Similarity between pigs was calculated using all behavioural traits recorded during the 24 h post-regrouping. Clusters of pigs were formed using furthest neighbour clustering with a stopping rule of 80% similarity. Five clusters of pigs representing 90% of the population (1047 pigs) were identified. For each regrouping aggressive behaviour trait and for fresh lesion counts 24 h post-regrouping the means differed significantly (P

Periparturient pain is a welfare concern and could contribute to piglet losses. This has led to studies investigating post-farrowing analgesia. A clear reduction in pain has not been demonstrated, partly due to a lack of pain indicators. This study quantified behaviours as potential pain indicators (PPIn) in sows: i) before, during and after farrowing, and ii) 2 min before and after piglet births. Twenty-five sows were observed during and after, and ten pre-farrowing. Behaviour recorded included: 1) back leg forward (back leg pulled forward and/or in); 2) tremble (movement as if shivering); 3) back arch (leg(s) stretch forming an arched back); 4) paw (leg scraped in pawing motion); and 5) tail flick (tail moved rapidly up and down). Behaviours were analysed using generalized linear models and Spearman's rank correlations. All PPIn were rare or absent pre-farrowing, highest during farrowing, and back leg forward, tremble and back arch were greater in the early post-farrowing period. Several significant positive correlations between PPIn during and post-farrowing were found. Back arch, tail flick and paw were higher before than after a piglet birth, and were more frequent earlier in the birth order. Back leg forward and tremble did not differ before and after births, and tremble increased with birth order. These behaviours, which were absent or rare pre-farrowing, present during farrowing and were lower afterwards, and showed consistent individual variation, may be quantitatively associated with pain. Spontaneous behaviours could be used to test the efficacy of analgesics or identify sows that may benefit.

Cytokines are cell signalling proteins that mediate a number of different physiological responses. The accurate measurement of cytokine profiles is important for a variety of diagnostic and prognostic scenarios in relation to animal health and welfare. Simultaneous quantification of cytokine profiles in a single sample is now possible using fluorescent microsphere immunoassays (FMIA). We describe the development and validation of a novel multiplex assay using the Bio-Plex® 200 system to quantify cytokines in five different porcine tissues (brain, placenta, synovial tissue and fluid, plasma). The cytokine profiles are both tissue, and research hypothesis, -dependent but include Interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), Interleukin-4 (IL-4), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-8 (IL-8), Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α).This methods paper is reported in two parts: the development of a FMIA for porcine tissues and validation of pre-treatment for optimal cytokine recovery in porcine brain, placenta, synovial tissue and plasma. Validation steps are critical in ensuring an assay is suitable for novel sample types.This technique advances traditional ELISAs by: • FMIA provides insight into the profiles of multiple porcine cytokines in certain situations (e.g. disease, parturition). • Use of the Bio-Plex® 200 system to investigate novel sample types, including brain, placenta and synovial tissue. • Multiplexing utilises a fraction of the sample volume compared with multiple ELISAs. Method name: Fluorescent microsphere immunoassay (FMIA), Keywords: Porcine, Multiplex, Cytokine, FMIA, Brain, Placenta, Synovial tissue, Synovial fluid, Plasma, Validation

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O26:H11, a serotype within Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) that causes severe human disease, has been considered to have evolved from attaching and effacing E. coli (AEEC) O26:H11 through the acquisition of a Shiga toxin-encoding gene. Targeted amplicon sequencing using next-generation sequencing technology of 48 phylogenetically informative single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and three SNPs differentiating Shiga toxin-positive ( stx -positive) strains from Shiga toxin-negative ( stx -negative) strains were used to infer the phylogenetic relationships of 178 E. coli O26:H11 strains (6 stx -positive strains and 172 stx -negative AEEC strains) from cattle feces to 7 publically available genomes of human clinical strains. The AEEC cattle strains displayed synonymous SNP genotypes with stx 2 -positive sequence type 29 (ST29) human O26:H11 strains, while stx 1 ST21 human and cattle strains clustered separately, demonstrating the close phylogenetic relatedness of these Shiga toxin-negative AEEC cattle strains and human clinical strains. With the exception of seven stx -negative strains, five of which contained espK , three stx -related SNPs differentiated the STEC strains from non-STEC strains, supporting the hypothesis that these AEEC cattle strains could serve as a potential reservoir for new or existing pathogenic human strains. Our results support the idea that targeted amplicon sequencing for SNP genotyping expedites strain identification and genetic characterization of E. coli O26:H11, which is important for food safety and public health.

Individual variation in the reproductive performance of sows has the potential for greater negative impacts in loose-farrowing systems. Therefore, the ability to select gilts that will perform well would be a major advantage. This study investigated the behaviour of gilts during pre-pubertal tests and farrowing behaviour in conventional crates and PigSAFE (Piglet and Sow Alternative Farrowing Environment) pens. Gilts underwent two phases of behavioural testing. First, gilts were subjected to three individual human interaction and three startle object tests randomly allocated to test sessions over 3 days (i.e. gilts had either a human or startle test first). Three weeks later, gilts underwent three human interaction and three novel object tests, in their stable group of six. Gilts farrowed in individual PigSAFE pens or conventional crates and behaviour was observed for 8 h from the first piglet birth. Data were analysed using linear mixed models and Spearman's rank correlations. A novel finding was the effect of individual test order: gilts that had the human interaction or startle object test first behaved differently. The first test was different whichever test type, with a higher latency to interact with the object or human, and gilts experiencing the startle test first interacted more with the human in all three subsequent tests. Gilts farrowing in crates and pens showed differences in behaviour, most notably, a lower frequency of piglet-directed aggression was seen in pens (P

Research has shown that the domestic pig is highly playful throughout its development and that play is an important aspect of social and cognitive development. Therefore, the neonatal environment is fundamental to successful stimulation of play in neonatal pigs, which could have indirect and direct socio-cognitive effects on pigs post-weaning and therefore influence social interactions known to cause welfare concerns (e.g. aggression during mixing). This study investigated how play pre- and post-weaning developed in two neonatal environments (NE); the conventional farrowing crate (NEC) and a more environmentally complex alternative PigSAFE pen (NEP) and to discover whether this had an effect on piglet' cognitive abilities in spontaneous object recognition tests for two retention times (15 and 60min) post-weaning. Hourly focal sampling was used to record play behaviours pre- and post-weaning in 72 piglets of mixed sex (36 per NE) from a total population of 117 piglets from 12 litters. Out of the 72 piglets, 24 were used in the cognitive spontaneous object recognition tests five weeks post-weaning. Linear mixed models showed that NEP piglets displayed play behaviours quicker after birth than NEC piglets: locomotor ( F =7.62 (1, 11) , P =0.020); sow interaction ( F =5.27 (1, 11) , P =0.045); and social interaction ( F =23.61 (1, 11) , P F =5.06 (1, 71) , P =0.051) and despite initial higher levels of aggression at weaning, displayed less chronic aggression post-weaning as indicated by lesion scores of all piglets ( F =27.05 (1, 116) , P F =5.39 (1, 23) , P =0.045). There was no NE effect for the 60min retention test. It was concluded that play is fundamental to successful socio-cognitive development (e.g. aggressive conflicts) and relates to play function theories of training for the unexpected. Its effect on play behaviours are short-term and highly dependent on present environmental stimulus, suggesting that any long-term benefits play may have on an animal's welfare can only be achieved by regular stimulation throughout its life (e.g. constant enrichment).

A survey of UK-based pig farmers and veterinarians was conducted, in order to investigate attitudes to pain and the use of pain relief in pigs. Survey respondents were asked to indicate which anti-inflammatory drugs they used or prescribed for pigs, how often these were administered, and the level of pain they associated with particular conditions. The survey found that veterinarians used a range of anti-inflammatory products to treat pigs with lameness. While both farmers and veterinarians gave similar pain scores overall, farmers rated gastrointestinal disease as more painful and conversely veterinarians scored lameness higher. Female and younger respondents gave higher pain scores than males and older respondents. Overall, farmers and veterinarians had a positive attitude towards pain relief in pigs with the majority agreeing that animals recovered more promptly when pain relief was administered. Most farmers agreed that the recognition and management of pain is an important part of pig husbandry, and many expressed an interest in finding out more about identifying pain in this species as well as the treatment options available. The study highlighted potential barriers to the increased application of pain relief in pigs in that almost one-third of veterinarians and two-thirds of farmers did not agree that they discussed pain management with each other, while other respondents indicated that they found it difficult to recognise pain in pigs, and did not know how to treat it appropriately.

Simple Summary The welfare of farmed pigs can be improved by modifying their environment with bedding, substrates, or objects, so that they can perform more of their pig-specific behaviours. Scientific knowledge on effective enrichment for pigs is not necessarily reaching farms and this paper provides an overview of this issue in the three largest global pork producing regions. In the USA, enrichment has not yet appeared on farms, except when required by higher welfare farm schemes. China hardly has any animal welfare legislation and food safety concerns restrict the use of enrichment on farms. Providing pig enrichment is required by law in EU Member States. In practice, enrichment is not always present, or is unsuitable or inadequate. Other risks to animal welfare include inadequate presentation, location, quantity and size, and maintenance of enrichment. Improvements can be made by applying principles from other fields of behavioural science; welfare knowledge transfer and training to farms; highlighting the economic benefits of effective enrichment; increasing pressure from the financial sector; using novel drivers of change, such as public benchmarking. The poor implementation of scientific knowledge on farms suggests that the industry has not fully embraced the benefits of effective enrichment. Abstract Science has defined the characteristics of effective environmental enrichment for pigs. We provide an overview of progress towards the provision of pig enrichment in the three largest global pork producing regions. In the USA, enrichment has not yet featured on the policy agenda, nor appeared on farms, except when required by certain farm assurance schemes. China has very limited legal animal welfare provisions and public awareness of animal welfare is very low. Food safety concerns severely restrict the use of substrates (as enrichment) on farms. Providing enrichment to pigs is a legal requirement in the EU. In practice, enrichment is not present, or simple (point-source) objects are provided which have no enduring value. Other common issues are the provision of non-effective or hazardous objects, inadequate presentation, location, quantity and size or inadequate maintenance of enrichment. Improvements can be made by applying principles from the field of experimental analysis of behaviour to evaluate the effectiveness of enrichment; providing welfare knowledge transfer, including training and advisory services; highlighting the economic benefits of effective enrichment and focusing on return on investment; increasing pressure from the financial sector; using novel drivers of change, such as public business benchmarking. The poor implementation of scientific knowledge on farms suggests that the pig industry has not fully embraced the benefits of effective enrichment and is still a long way off achieving an enriched pig population.

Current methods for screening Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157 and non-O157 in beef enrichments typically rely on the molecular detection of stx, eae, and serogroup-specific wzx or wzy gene fragments. As these genetic markers can also be found in some non-EHEC strains, a number of ‘false positive’ results are obtained. Here, we explore the suitability of five novel molecular markers, espK, espV, ureD, Z2098, and CRISPRO26:H11 as candidates for a more accurate screening of EHEC strains of greater clinical significance in industrialized countries. Of the 1,739 beef enrichments tested, 180 were positive for both stx and eae genes. Ninety (50%) of these tested negative for espK, espV, ureD, and Z2098, but twelve out of these negative samples were positive for the CRISPRO26:H11 gene marker specific for a newly emerging virulent EHEC O26:H11 French clone. We show that screening for stx, eae, espK, and espV, in association with the CRISPRO26:H11 marker is a better approach to narrow down the EHEC screening step in beef enrichments. The number of potentially positive samples was reduced by 48.88% by means of this alternative strategy compared to the European and American reference methods, thus substantially improving the discriminatory power of EHEC screening systems. This approach is in line with the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) opinion on pathogenic STEC published in 2013.

To limit tail biting incidence, most pig producers in Europe tail dock their piglets. This is despite EU Council Directive 2008/120/EC banning routine tail docking and allowing it only as a last resort. The paper aims to understand what it takes to fulfil the intentions of the Directive by examining economic results of four management and housing scenarios, and by discussing their consequences for animal welfare in the light of legal and ethical considerations. The four scenarios compared are: 'Standard Docked', a conventional housing scenario with tail docking meeting the recommendations for Danish production (0.7 m2/pig); 'Standard Undocked', which is the same as 'Standard Docked' but with no tail docking, 'Efficient Undocked' and 'Enhanced Undocked', which have increased solid floor area (0.9 and 1.0 m2/pig, respectively) provision of loose manipulable materials (100 and 200 g/straw per pig per day) and no tail docking. A decision tree model based on data from Danish and Finnish pig production suggests that Standard Docked provides the highest economic gross margin with the least tail biting. Given our assumptions, Enhanced Undocked is the least economic, although Efficient Undocked is better economically and both result in a lower incidence of tail biting than Standard Undocked but higher than Standard Docked. For a pig, being bitten is worse for welfare (repeated pain, risk of infections) than being docked, but to compare welfare consequences at a farm level means considering the number of affected pigs. Because of the high levels of biting in Standard Undocked, it has on average inferior welfare to Standard Docked, whereas the comparison of Standard Docked and Enhanced (or Efficient) Undocked is more difficult. In Enhanced (or Efficient) Undocked, more pigs than in Standard Docked suffer from being tail bitten, whereas all the pigs avoid the acute pain of docking endured by the pigs in Standard Docked. We illustrate and discuss this ethical balance using numbers derived from the above-mentioned data. We discuss our results in the light of the EU Directive and its adoption and enforcement by Member States. Widespread use of tail docking seems to be accepted, mainly because the alternative steps that producers are required to take before resorting to it are not specified in detail. By tail docking, producers are acting in their own best interests. We suggest that for the practice of tail docking to be terminated in a way that benefits animal welfare, changes in the way pigs are housed and managed may first be required.

Lamb mortality remains a significant welfare and economic issue for sheep production. Lamb survival is to a degree dependent upon an easy delivery and the expression of appropriate behaviours from both mother and offspring, such as rapid standing, udder seeking and sucking by the lamb. Genetic solutions have the potential to improve birth assistance and lamb behaviour but large amounts of data are needed. Therefore, to achieve this objective, simple, proxy methods (scoring systems) were developed to quantify the level of birth difficulties and lamb vigour on farm. In the first study, detailed historical behavioural data from 1156 lambs (Scottish Blackface and Suffolk (S)) were analysed to develop criteria for 3 scores: birth assistance, lamb vigour and sucking assistance. The birth assistance score was developed by analysing the relationships between birth presentation and intervention levels, and intervention level and labour length. Lambs with abnormal birth positions required more assistance than normally presented lambs and lambs with long labours required more and greater assistance than those with short labours. Lamb vigour score was developed by analysing the latencies for the lamb to first perform specific behaviours; more vigorous lambs reach landmark behaviours faster than low vigour lambs. The sucking assistance score was developed from the relationship between the latency to suck successfully and assistance level, where lambs that were slow to suck required more assistance than lambs that were quick to suck. In the second study, the behaviour scoring systems (5-point categorical scales) were validated using a commercial flock of 80 twin-bearing crossbred ewes mated with either Texel (T) or S sires by simultaneously recording scores and the latency to perform specific landmark behaviours (i.e. to stand, seek the udder and suck). The vigour scores (recorded at 5 min of age) were compared with the latency from birth to standing and showed that lambs with lower (better) vigour scores were faster to stand after birth than those with higher scores. The sucking assistance scores were compared with the latency from birth to sucking, and showed that lambs with lower sucking assistance scores are quicker to suck than those with high scores. These results showed that the scoring systems could provide a practical and reliable assessment of birth assistance and lamb behaviour on farm and were sufficiently sensitive to discriminate vigour levels between lambs sired by either S or T rams.

In various mammals stress during gestation can result in long term effects on the behaviour and physiology of the offspring. The aims of this study were (i) to characterise individual variation among primiparous sows (gilts) in their behavioural and physiological response to a commercially relevant social challenge (mixing with older sows) during gestation and (ii) to determine whether this variation was associated with a corresponding variation in the subsequent effects on the offspring. After assessing dominance in a food competition test, 24 gilts were studied in groups of six during two one-week periods (unmixed – U). These gilts were split into eight subgroups of three gilts, each of which were mixed with two older sows for one week (mixed – M1) before being returned to their original group of six for two weeks. Mixing was then repeated using different older sows during a second week (mixed – M2). Aggressive behaviour, skin lesions and salivary cortisol increase over baseline were higher, and weight gain was lower during mixed periods. During mixing gilts spent more time in feeder stalls, avoiding sows lying in a straw-bedded area, although there was considerable variation among individuals in the extent to which they interacted with or avoided sows. Gilts which interacted more with sows had lower weight gain and higher lesion scores. Previously dominant gilts had higher salivary cortisol increases during mixing. Measures of the impact of mixing, most notably M1 lesion scores, were associated with the behaviour of their offspring: gilts with more lesions had piglets that were less active and less vocal on the day of weaning and over 31 days post-weaning, and were less aggressive over 31 days post-weaning. Thirty-two piglets (from 16 of the gilts) were either restrained for 30 min or not restrained prior to euthanasia at 60 days of age. The restrained piglets from gilts with higher M1 lesion scores had higher levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone mRNA in the paraventricular nucleus and amygdala. This study demonstrates that differences between individual gilts in their experience of a stressful social challenge co-vary with the extent to which this pre-natal stress impacts on their offspring.

The experiment measured lamb responses to supplementation of the pregnant ewe diet with vitamin E above requirement. Crossbred ewes were mated with either Suffolk or Texel rams. Twin-bearing ewes were randomly allocated (approximately 21 months of age at allocation) to one of four treatment groups (20 ewes per group, 10 mated with Suffolk and 10 with Texel rams). Treatments imposed were 50, 100, 150 or 250 IU supplementary vitamin E per ewe per day to give a four treatment by two sire-type factorial experimental design. Ewes were fed concentrates to meet energy requirements for stage of pregnancy and hay ad libitum. Diets were introduced approximately 6 weeks before lambing. Blood samples were obtained prior to introduction of diets, 17 days after introduction of diets and within 24 h of lambing from a subset of eight ewes per treatment (32 total). Colostrum samples were obtained from 10 ewes per treatment, 12 h after birth of the first lamb. All births were observed and a lamb vigour score was assigned to each lamb 5 min after birth. At 1 and 12 h after birth, rectal temperature, and at 12 h after birth, sex, crown-rump length and BW of each lamb were recorded. Mean ewe plasma α-tocopherol concentration prior to introduction of the diets was 1.5 μg/ml (s.e.m. 0.09) and did not differ between groups. There were positive linear (P < 0.001) effects of dietary vitamin E on plasma (17 days after introduction of diets) and colostrum (12 h after birth) α-tocopherol concentrations. Lamb vigour scores were superior (P < 0.001) for lambs sired by Texel rather than Suffolk rams but there were no differences as a result of vitamin E supplementation. Lamb mortality was low and unrelated to either sire or supplementary vitamin E. Lamb birth and weaning weights were also unaffected by vitamin E supplementation. Supplementing the ewe with vitamin E therefore had no effect on any lamb measurements.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O26:H11 is one of the most frequent pathogens associated with diarrhea and hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). In this report, we present the draft genome sequences of seven strains of STEC O26:H11 carrying the stx 2a or stx 2d gene only and isolated in France from HUS patients.

Escherichia coli O26 has been identified as the most common non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serogroup to cause human illnesses in the United States and has been implicated in outbreaks around the world. E. coli has high genomic plasticity, which facilitates the loss or acquisition of virulence genes. Attaching and effacing E. coli (AEEC) O26 strains have frequently been isolated from bovine feces, and there is a need to better characterize the relatedness of these strains to defined molecular pathotypes and to describe the extent of their genetic diversity. High-throughput real-time PCR was used to screen 178 E. coli O26 isolates from a single U.S. cattle feedlot, collected from May to July 2011, for the presence or absence of 25 O26 serogroup-specific and virulence-associated markers. The selected markers were capable of distinguishing these strains into molecularly defined groups (yielding 18 unique marker combinations). Analysis of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat 1 (CRISPR1) and CRISPR2a loci further discriminated isolates into 24 CRISPR types. The combination of molecular markers and CRISPR typing provided 20.8% diversity. The recent CRISPR PCR target SP_O26-E, which was previously identified only in stx 2 -positive O26:H11 human clinical strains, was identified in 96.4% (161/167 [95% confidence interval, 99.2 to 93.6%]) of the stx -negative AEEC O26:H11 bovine fecal strains. This supports that these stx -negative strains may have previously contained a prophage carrying stx or could acquire this prophage, thus possibly giving them the potential to become pathogenic to humans. These results show that investigation of specific genetic markers may further elucidate our understanding of the genetic diversity of AEEC O26 strains in bovine feces.

Numerous studies have shown that prenatal stress (PNS) can have profound effects on postnatal well-being. Here, the domestic pig (Sus scrofa) was used to investigate PNS effects owing to the direct relevance for farm animal welfare and the developing status of the pig as a large animal model in translational research. Pregnant primiparous sows were exposed, in mid-gestation, to either a social stressor (mixing with unfamiliar conspecifics) or were kept in stable social groups. The ratio of levels of mRNAs for corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) receptors 1 and 2 in the amygdala, measured for the first time in the pig, was substantially increased in 10-week-old female, but not male, PNS progeny indicating a neurobiological propensity for anxiety-related behaviour. Mature female offspring were observed at parturition in either a behaviourally restrictive crate or open pen. Such PNS sows showed abnormal maternal behaviour in either environment, following the birth of their first piglet. They spent more time lying ventrally, more time standing and showed a higher frequency of posture changes. They were also more reactive towards their piglets, and spent longer visually attending to their piglets compared to controls. Associated with this abnormal maternal care, piglet mortality was increased in the open pen environment, where protection for piglets is reduced. Overall, these data indicate that PNS females have their brain development shifted towards a pro-anxiety phenotype and that PNS can be causally related to subsequent impaired maternal behaviour in adult female offspring.

Aggression when pigs are mixed into new social groups has negative impacts on welfare and production. Aggressive behaviour is moderately heritable and could be reduced by genetic selection. The possible wider impacts of selection for reduced aggressiveness on handling traits and activity in the home pen were investigated using 1663 male and female pedigree pigs (898 purebred Yorkshire and 765 Yorkshire X Landrace). Aggressive behaviour was observed over 24 h after pigs were mixed at 10 weeks of age into groups balanced for unfamiliarity and weight Aggression was highly heritable (duration of involvement in reciprocal fighting h(2) = 0.47 +/- 0.03, and duration of delivering one-sided aggression h(2) = 0.34 +/- 0.03). Three weeks after mixing, home pen inactivity (indicated by the frequency of lying) was observed over 24 h. Inactivity was weakly heritable (h(2) = 0.05 +/- 0.01) but showed no significant genetic association with aggression. Pigs' behaviour during handling by humans was assessed on entry to, whilst inside and on exit from a weigh crate at both mixing and end of test at 22 weeks. Pigs were generally easy to handle, moving easily into and out of the crate. Scores indicating 'very difficult to move' were rare. Handling scores at weighing were weakly heritable (h(2) = 0.03 to 0.17), and moderately correlated across the two weighings (r(g) = 0.28 to 0.76). Aggressive behaviour at mixing was genetically associated with handling at the end of test weighing: pigs that fought and delivered one-sided aggression had handling scores indicating more active behaviour at weighing (e.g. moving quickly into the crate v. fighting r(g) = 0.41 +/- 0.05 and v. bullying r(g) = 0.60 +/- 0.04). Also, there was a genetic association between receiving one-side aggression at mixing and producing high-pitched vocalisations in the weigh crate (r(g) = 0.78 +/- 0.08). Correlated behavioural responses occurring across different challenging situations (e.g. social mixing and human handling) have been described by the concept of animal temperament (also known as coping styles, personality or behavioural syndromes), but this has rarely been demonstrated at the genetic level in farm animals. These findings may have practical implications for the development of breeding programmes aimed at altering animal temperament. Breeding to reduce aggression could result in some reduction in activity at weighing. This would have consequences for animal production, because pigs which are inactive at weighing take longer to move into and out of the weigh crate, and perhaps also for animal welfare.

The objective of the study was to estimate genetic correlations between skin lesions and aggressive behavior postmixing and under more stable social conditions as a potential means of selecting against pig aggressiveness. Postmixing aggression in commercial pig production is common, compromises welfare and profitability, and cannot be significantly reduced by low-cost changes to the environment. A genetic component to individual aggressiveness has been described in pigs and other species. Selective breeding against aggressiveness ought to be possible if an easily measured indicator trait can be shown to be genetically associated with aggressive behavior. Aggressive behavior was recorded continuously for 24 h after mixing, and a count of skin lesions (lesion count, LC) was recorded at 24 h and 3 wk postmixing on 1,663 pigs. Two behavioral traits were found to have a moderate to high heritability similar to that of growth traits; duration of involvement in reciprocal fighting (0.43 +/- 0.04) and delivery of nonreciprocal aggression (NRA; 0.31 +/- 0.04), whereas receipt of NRA had a lower heritability (0.08 +/- 0.03). Genetic correlations (r(g)) suggested that lesions to the anterior region of the body 24 h after mixing were associated with reciprocal fighting (r(g) = 0.67 +/- 0.04), receipt of NRA (r(g) = 0.70 +/- 0.11), and to a lesser extent, delivery of NRA (r(g) = 0.31 +/- 0.06). Lesions to the center and rear were primarily genetically associated with receipt of NRA (r(g) = 0.80 +/- 0.05, 0.79 +/- 0.05). Genetic correlations indicated that pigs that engaged in reciprocal fighting delivered NRA to other animals (r(g) = 0.84 +/- 0.04) but were less likely to receive NRA themselves (r(g) = -0.41 +/- 0.14). A genetic merit index using lesions to the anterior region as one trait and those to the center or rear or both as a second trait should allow selection against animals involved in reciprocal fighting and the delivery of NRA. Positive correlations between LC 24 h and 3 wk after mixing were found, especially for lesions to the center and rear of the body, indicating that postmixing lesions are predictive of those received under more stable group conditions. As well as reducing immediate aggression at mixing, selection on postmixing LC is expected to have a long-term impact on injuries from aggression, even after dominance relationships are established.

Chantier qualité GA; International audience; Pre-slaughter stress has a negative impact on animal welfare and on meat quality. Aggressive behaviour when pigs are mixed together for transportation to, or on arrival at, the abattoir is an important factor in pre-slaughter stress. Aggressiveness of pigs varies between individuals in the population, and this study investigated its effects on stress and meat quality at slaughter. We mixed pigs at a young age to identify individuals of high (H) or low (L) aggressive temperament using the previously validated approach of lesion scoring. To contrast extremes of social stress single-sex groups of eight pigs were mixed according to their aggressiveness in HH, HL or LL combinations or left unmixed (U) prior to transport and slaughter (n = 271). Each treatment was replicated in at least two groups in each of four slaughter batches. Mixing per se had little effect, but mixed groups composed of aggressive pigs (HH) had more carcass skin lesions and higher levels of plasma cortisol at slaughter and had loin muscle samples with higher pH at 24 h, and lower redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) compared to the other treatments. Females had higher levels of plasma cortisol at slaughter, a more rapid decline in pH post-slaughter and greater lean content of meat. Lactate and creatine kinase (CK) levels and meat pH were affected by the interaction of sex and treatment. Genetic factors, dam and sire line composition, and halothane locus (ryanodine receptor 1, RYR1) genotype, also affected a number of production and meat quality parameters as expected. Additionally, ‘commercially normal’ levels of social stress were studied in four further slaughter batches with no manipulation of group composition (n = 313). In these pigs, the proportion of unfamiliar pigs and group size of lairage groups explained limited variation in lesion scores at slaughter, but earlier aggressiveness did not. High numbers of skin lesions on the carcass were associated with high levels of cortisol and lactate and low glucose at slaughter, but not with meat quality measures. When stress and meat quality measures were compared for all pigs, high lactate was associated with low early pH and high drip loss, while high cortisol and CK were associated with high pH at 24 h and changes in meat colour. In conclusion, mixing pigs of above average aggressiveness resulted in greater aggression and stress, and changes in meat quality parameters, consistent with the effects of pre-slaughter stress on muscle chemistry.

Neonatal lamb mortality represents both a welfare issue and an important production inefficiency. Approximately 80% of lamb mortality can be attributed to the starvation-mismothering-exposure complex and occurs in the first 3 days after birth. Sub-optimal supply of trace elements and vitamins to the ewe is a potential risk factor in lamb mortality with Se, vitamin E and fatty acids the most likely candidates (Rooke et al. 2008). Responses to vitamin E supplementation above requirement in the last third of gestation are variable probably because of differences between studies in route of administration, dose administered and pre-experiment vitamin E status of the ewe population. The object of the experiment was to characterise responses in lamb viability to supplementation of the maternal diet with vitamin E above the stated requirement.