Lameness due to foot and leg problems is a persistent issue for the pig industry. The aim of this BPEX-funded project, being carried out at Newcastle University, is to develop objective methods of assessing locomotion in pigs, which could help to identify at a relatively early stage those pigs likely to develop a foot or a leg problem later in life because of their conformation or structural development.

The project, which started last year, will develop a series of steps to:

• put parameters on the normal gait of pigs through the use of motion capture technology
• ascertain how gait changes with increasing age/weight of the pig
• determine the effect of floor surface on gait, and
• ascertain the predictive power of early gait score measures to identify later predisposition to lameness.

For more information of this project, click here.