Good husbandry conditions on farms is of key importance for assuring animal welfare. One of the most important legal documents regulating the rules of maintaining pigs is the Directive 2008/120/EC, which states that group-housed pigs should have access to litter or other materials that provide exploration and occupation. Released in 2016, the Commission Recommendation (EU) 2016/336 on the application of the Council Directive 2008/120/EC characterizes the various categories of materials that may be used to improve animal welfare. According to the document, straw is considered as an optimal material for pig housing, however, materials categorized as suboptimal (e.g., wood bark) and materials of marginal interest (e.g., plastic toys) are often used in practice and scientific research. As such, the aim of this paper is to review and systematize the current state of knowledge on the topic of the impact of environmental enrichment on pig welfare. This article raises mainly issues, such as the effectiveness of the use of various enrichment on the reduction of undesirable behavior—tail biting; aggression; and stereotypies at the pre-weaning, post-weaning, and fattening stage of pig production.

weather conditions (temperature, humidity, solar radiation, air pressure, wind strength, wind direction and precipitation) have a significant impact on the behaviour of farm animals. Pigs have developed a wide range of thermoregulatory behaviours that are particular for this species. With increases in temperature the most characteristic behaviour for pigs is decreased activity and increased wallowing in wet surfaces. In addition to this, rooting and wallowing are highly influenced by temperature and humidity. The lack of possibility to express these behaviours leads to development of stereotypies. Interestingly, low temperatures do not increase the use of shelter if not in combination with wind or precipitation. Furthermore, wild pigs build stronger nests in severe conditions. Also, resting behaviour and reproduction may be disturbed by high temperatures. There is a negative impact of foehn wind on boars' libido and semen parameters.

There were two goals of the present experiment, namely (1) to determine and compare the concentrations of basal nutrients and anti-nutrients in the grain of a modern hybrid rye and barley cultivars, and (2) to compare the effectiveness of the rye- and barley-containing diets for pig fattening. Crude protein and starch contents were greater (P < 0.01) in rye (cv. Visello) than in barley (cv. Bryl) but fibre and total lipid concentrations were lower (P < 0.01) in rye grain. Mean concentrations of alkylresorcinols and pentosans, as well as the activity of trypsin inhibitors, were all higher (P < 0.01) in rye grain. In all, 150 PIC gilts were randomly divided into two equinumerous groups; control pigs were fed a diet containing barley as the main cereal ingredient (starter phase (SP), 35% of feed content; grower phase (GP), 40% of feed content; and finisher phase (FP), 65% of feed content), while the experimental group received a diet with rye replacing a proportion of barley (10% during SP, 25% during GP and 50% during FP); the diets for both subsets of animals also contained wheat and soybean meal to obtain a proper level of nutritional value. The average weight gain of the rye-fed gilts (783 ± 183 g/day; mean ± s.d.) was greater (P < 0.05) than that of control animals (747 ± 218 g/day). This difference in weight gain was due mainly to an increase in daily feed intake (2.35 ± 0.21 and 2.15 ± 0.19 kg/day in the experimental and control groups, respectively; P < 0.01) recorded during the grower and finisher phase. Carcasses from both groups exhibited the same lean meat content; however, the percentage of carcasses in the higher classes according to the EUROP quality scale tended to be greater in the experimental group, which resulted in a higher (P < 0.05) carcass value than for barley-fed controls. The present results indicated that a modern rye cv. Visello is a safe and cost-effective feed for growing pigs, and yields significantly better outcomes than commonly used barley-containing diets in terms of carcass quality and price.

Perception of the environment by farm animals is fundamental for expression of behaviour and of their adaptation to different environmental conditions. from a breeding-environmental perspective, perception becomes increasingly important when a production system negatively impacts on animals such that their normal expression of behaviour is compromised. therefore, research on the perceptual abilities of farm animals is of crucial importance to understand the animalenvironment relationship. this review is focused on research related to sensory perception of farm animals. It should be stressed that the world of animal senses is very difficult to explore, we have limited knowledge of the complexity of the animal's ability to perceive and process environmental stimuli.

No abstract