Social Housing Requirements for Pigs

Pigs are highly social animals requiring appropriate group sizes and stable social groups to express normal behaviour and maintain psychological welfare.

Key Facts

Wild pigs live in stable matriarchal groups called sounders of 5-20 individuals
Group instability from mixing unfamiliar pigs causes injury from aggression and fighting
Stable groups show affiliative behaviours including play, nose-to-nose contact, and resting together
Mixing of pigs from different litters or farms causes significant acute welfare harm
EU welfare codes require social housing but do not specify group stability requirements

Welfare Considerations

Pig welfare science consistently shows that social stability is as important as group size. Mixing pigs causes aggressive encounters as dominance hierarchies are re-established; these can result in severe biting and injury, particularly in systems without space to escape. Farms that maintain stable groups from birth to slaughter show significantly lower injury rates and better welfare outcomes. The practical challenge is commercial pressure to mix pigs according to weight at different stages.

What You Can Do

Choose pork from farms that minimise mixing of pigs from different origin groups
Advocate for group stability requirements in pig welfare codes
Support research into management systems that maintain stable social groups through production
Reduce pig meat consumption or choose from farms with high social housing standards
Contact retailers asking about group mixing policies in their pork supply chains