New figures on the way for mortality rates for organic piglets

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- "Over the past year, we have been working on an updated mapping of mortality among organic piglets so that farmers, media and politicians do not have to act and make decisions based on outdated data," explains Sarah-Lina Aagaard Schild, project manager and special consultant at the Innovation Centre for Organic Farming.

She explains that there is an expectation among both farmers and other professionals in the industry that the current piglet mortality rate is significantly lower than the figure published in 2018. Since 2014-2015, when the data collection for the publication was carried out, several measures have been taken on organic farms to reduce piglet mortality.

Today, organic pig producers typically use pigs with different genetics than they did back in 2014-2015. The majority of producers now purchase breeding stock from an organic breeding farm (currently only TN70), whereas previously they used 80% own breeding supplemented with 20% purchased conventional gilts.

Since 2014-2015, a number of management measures have also been implemented to promote piglet survival. These include ensuring that sows in the farrowing field have access to shade during the summer months.

- There is therefore good reason to expect a significantly higher survival rate among organic piglets today, and we want to confirm or refute this expectation through updated data," says Sarah-Lina Aagaard Schild.

The Innovation Centre for Organic Farming is conducting a detailed data collection from organic pig farms in 2025 and 2026 to get a figure for current piglet mortality so that pig producers, media and politicians can act based on valid and updated figures.

- "Many organic pig producers contribute their data to the project, which is very positive because we want the data to be as valid and representative as possible," says Sarah-Lina Aagaard Schild.

Recommendations for increased survival

Based on the new study, the Innovation Centre for Organic Farming will define a number of recommendations for organic farmers.

- "In addition to the updated piglet mortality figures, we are also collecting data and practical experience that will help us identify when the risk periods for piglet mortality are and what measures can be used to increase piglet survival so that organic producers can continue to develop their production with animal welfare in mind," says Sarah-Lina Aagaard Schild.

Among other things, it can be about when of the year to pay special attention to cold, heat and mud, and whether the age of the sow or the number of piglets has an impact on increasing piglet survival.