The status of pig welfare in selected districts of Uganda: implications for health and productivity interventions

A survey conducted in four high pig producing districts in central Uganda has revealed that designing simple interventions that target housing structures, provision of cooling facilities especially during hot periods (heat stress) and bedding materials can improve farmer livelihoods and pig welfare in Uganda. 

Data from 270 pig farms in Masaka, Mukono, Mpigi and Wakiso showed that pigs in Uganda are exposed to undernutrition (high proportion of pigs with poor body condition score), dirty water, high mortality, physical injuries, poor housing, and health challenges (stillbirth, ill thrift and GI disorders). The survey consisted of resource-based (housing and water supply), animal-based (pig body condition and physical injuries) and management-based (records of morbidity and mortality) indicators of pig health and welfare. 

Read research article here