Tear staining has been shown to be a consistent indicator of stress in rats and to correlate with social stress and a barren environment in pigs. The current study was, to our knowledge, the first to test it on commercial pig farms as a potential welfare indicator.
The study was carried out on three commercial farms in Finland, in connection to a larger study on the effects of different types of manipulable objects on tail and ear biting and other behavioural parameters.
Although correlations with tail and ear damage were low, it was concluded that tear staining has promising potential as a new, additional welfare indicator for commercial pig farming. Further research is needed on the mechanisms of tear staining.
Tear staining in pigs: a potential tool for welfare assessment on commercial farms
Telkänranta, H., Marchant-Forde J. and A. Valros
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&ai…