Breeding tool
Sow Insemination Catheter
Insemination without natural mating
What it is
A flexible tube is pushed into the sow's reproductive tract and a measured dose of semen is released through it, in place of natural mating.
Where it sits in the system
Artificial insemination puts the timing of every pregnancy in the farm's hands. Selected genetics can be spread across many sows, and litters arrive on the schedule the farm sets.
Welfare concern
The tube itself is not the injury. Rough insertion, dirty equipment, inseminating a sow who is not ready, and forceful restraint cause distress, irritation, and internal injury.
Worth being precise about
Performed by trained staff at the right point in the cycle, the procedure is routine and brief. What is at stake is the reproductive control the tool makes possible, not the catheter alone.
