Effects of Housing Conditions and Management Practices on Pig Production and Welfare
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Pigs".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 13 March 2026 | Viewed by 16
Special Issue Editors
Interests: behavior; environmental enrichment; pig farming; welfare; meat quality; ambiance
Interests: animal nutrition; gut health; alternatives to antimicrobials
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, entitled “Effects of Housing Conditions and Management Practices on Pig Production and Welfare”, for the journal Animals. Pig production systems are under increasing pressure to improve not only productivity, but also animal welfare and sustainability. Housing conditions and management practices are key factors that directly influence animal behaviour, health, growth performance, and overall welfare. Advances in precision livestock farming, environmental enrichment, nutrition, and health management are essential to meet societal expectations, improve animal quality of life, and optimise production efficiency. Therefore, high-quality research in this area is of great importance to the future of sustainable animal agriculture.
This Special Issue aims to explore how different housing systems and management strategies affect pig welfare, health, behaviour, and performance, contributing directly to the journal’s scope, which focuses on all aspects of animal science and welfare. Our goal is to provide evidence-based solutions that promote sustainable, efficient, and welfare-friendly pig production systems.
In this Special Issue, original research articles, reviews, and meta-analyses are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Effects of thermal environment, ventilation, flooring, lighting, and space allowance on pig welfare and performance;
- Impact of environmental enrichment and human–animal interactions;
- Influence of nutritional strategies or precision feeding on health and welfare;
- Application of precision livestock farming technologies for welfare monitoring;
- Use of alternatives to antimicrobial growth promoters on welfare;
- Behavioural studies and welfare assessment methodologies in different production stages;
- Sustainable management practices that balance productivity and animal welfare.
We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.
Prof. Dr. Fabiana Ribeiro Caldara
Prof. Dr. Leandro Batista Costa
Prof. Dr. Luan Sousa Dos Santos
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- pig welfare
- housing systems
- management practices
- environmental enrichment
- precision livestock farming
- behav-iour
- health
- performance
- sustainable production
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
