Rethinking Animal Welfare for Stronger Pigs and Farms | Dr. Yolande Seddon

About the Guest Yolande Seddon is an associate professor in swine behaviour and the Enhancement Chair in Swine Welfare at the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine. Yolande leads a research group in Saskatoon, Canada, and provides animal welfare consultation for swine industry groups. Her academic training is in applied ethology (animal behaviour) and the scientific assessment of animal welfare, with a PhD in finisher pig health management (Newcastle University, UK). Her research mandate is to contribute science to help develop lasting solutions to swine welfare challenges and to support sustainable farming practices. Her areas of research include management of gestating sows in group-housing, the economics of higher welfare free-farrowing systems, weaner transport, environmental enrichment, and the development of improved methods of swine welfare assessment. What can you expect to learn from this episode of Popular Pig? Why animal welfare is not just a nice extra but a key part of production, sustainability, and pig care. How Canada blends science with producer input so research actually gets put into practice on farms. Why enrichment and play are important, how they reduce stress, improve health, and even help pigs handle challenges like PRRS. What freedom of movement really looks like, why sows will choose it, and why group housing is more effective than short exercise routines. Yolande’s “golden nugget.”