Research by Dr. Chantal Farmer of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has revealed that the amount of food a sow eats during pregnancy affects how much milk she will produce.

Sows often do not produce enough milk to sustain the growth of their piglet litters, which can be very large.

"There is a relationship between the condition of the sow while pregnant and the health of piglets afterwards. We see this in their fatness; the amount of milk produced, and milk quality," explained Farmer.

Today the average sow produces 10 piglets as opposed to nine in 2014.

The study by Dr. Farmer shows that ensuring piglets have enough milk is key to healthy growth.

"Milk production is not affected later in life, even if the amount of feed is increased. Hyper-prolific sow lines are great for the industry but it is necessary to feed all those piglets, too," added Dr. Farmer.

The results showed that for ultimate milk production, feeding sows as much during pregnancy as during lactation can ensure sufficient milk production for large litters.