Taking the ‘stress’ out of weaning

The prevalence of E. coli infections after weaning fell dramatically in the UK in the late 1990s, even when PMWS was soaring to its heights – what was happening? We had just had the changes in husbandry from the banning of sow stalls and the introduction of straw-based systems, which also led to the increased use of straw yards for weaning piglets. When PMWS hit, greater care was taken to reduce the stress of weaning and thereby reduce the initial damaging effects of porcine circovirus (PCV2