An environmental model for sows: materializing physical and behavioural needs.

Animals experience welfare when their behavioural and physical needs are fulfilled. To enable an animal to show all kinds of behavioural patterns, the environment has to meet certain requirements. Satisfying physical needs generally results in good health. This also implies certain environmental characteristics. Behavioural and physical needs can therefore be translated into environmental characteristics, which constitute an environmental model. When it can be decided to what extent certain needs are essential for the animals, the necessity that certain environmental provisions are available within the animals environment can be derived. Essential needs correspond with provisions. These provisions should, from an animal welfare point of view, be available and together constitute a minimum environmental model. In this paper an attempt is made to draw up an environmental model for sows. Provisions are such that the occurrence of aberrations in behaviour and health should, to a large extent, be prevented. Therefore a lying area, space to walk, a feeding place, food, a dunging area, and stimuli for exploration are included in the model. Climatic conditions are favourable, and social behaviour, comfort behaviour and exploratory behaviour can be carried out. By comparing existing housing systems with this model, it is easy to find out whether minimal welfare requirements are met, and if improvements are thought to be necessary and in what direction these should be sought.