The welfare of sows during gestation — the period between weaning and next farrowing — is determined by housing system, social management and enrichment provision.
Gestating sow welfare has improved significantly with the EU shift from individual stalls to group housing, but implementation quality varies enormously. A well-managed ESF group system with stable groups, adequate space, rooting material and skilled stockpersonship delivers genuinely improved welfare. A poorly managed group system with overcrowding, feed competition and repeated group mixing can produce worse welfare outcomes than individual housing despite technical compliance with the directive. The welfare outcome depends on management quality — which cannot be mandated through housing type alone.