IllinoisPorkAll-AmericanbytheNationalPorkProducers’
Council.
Another physicalproblemforthepigs isthatthefloors of
confinementunitsaredesignedforeaseofmaintenanceand
theeliminationofchoreslikemanuredisposal,ratherthanfor
thecomfortoftheanimals.Inmostunitsthefloorsareeither
slattedorsolidconcrete.Neitherissatisfactory;bothdamage
the feet and legs of the pigs. Studies have shown
extraordinarilyhighratesoffootdamage,butadiscussionof
slattedfloorsbytheeditorofFarmerandStockbreederstated
the producers’ attitude to this question clearly:
Thecommonsenseapproachatthisstageinourknowledgeis
thatforexpendablestocktheslattedfloorseemstohavemore
merit than disadvantage. The animal will usually be
slaughtered before serious deformity sets in. Onthe other
hand, breedingstock, with a longerworkinglife beforeit,
mustgrowandkeepgoodlegs;riskofdamageherewould
seem to outweigh the advantages.^80
An American producer put it more tersely:
Wedon’tgetpaidforproducinganimalswithgoodposture
around here. We get paid by the pound.^81
While the factthat the animalwill usuallybe slaughtered
beforeseriousdeformitysetsinmayminimizethefinancial
loss to the producer, it can hardly comfort the animals,
standingcontinuouslyonunsuitableflooring,acquiringfoot
orlegdeformitiesthatwouldbecomeseriouswerethepigs
not to be slaughtered at an early age.