Using Stakeholder Focus Groups to Refine the Care of Pigs Used in Research.

Research organizations should be proactive in regularly evaluating and refining their animal care and use programs in order to advance animal welfare and minimize distress. Pigs are often used in research, but few empirical studies have examined optimal husbandry and research use practices for pigs in a research environment. We developed the Pig Welfare Working Group (PWWG) to address the need for more formal guidelines on the management and use of pigs in research.