Pig Gestation Group Housing Welfare

Group housing of gestating sows represents a significant welfare improvement over individual crates, but requires careful management to prevent aggression and ensure all sows have adequate food.

Key Facts

EU law requires gestating sows to be housed in groups from 4 weeks after mating
The transition from individual to group housing caused initial management challenges
Electronic Sow Feeding (ESF) systems allow individual feed delivery in group settings
Stable groups with consistent membership show lower aggression than unstable groups
UK farms are generally compliant with group housing requirements but quality varies

Welfare Considerations

Group housing removes the severe welfare problems of gestation crates - sows can turn around, socialise, and express more natural behaviours. However, group housing without careful management creates its own welfare problems. Mixing unfamiliar sows causes aggressive competition. Large groups with inadequate space create competition for resources. ESF systems can malfunction, causing some sows to be underfed. Lameness in group-housed sows affects their ability to compete for food. Well-managed group housing on appropriate flooring with stable groups represents significantly better welfare than crating.

What You Can Do

Choose pork from farms using group housing with Electronic Sow Feeding
Advocate for minimum space allowances in group sow housing to be increased
Support research into optimal group size and composition for sow welfare
Engage with retailers about their group housing compliance verification
Back campaigns for group housing to be required in all countries importing EU pork