Group housing of pregnant sows, now mandatory in the EU and some other jurisdictions, provides significant welfare benefits over individual gestation stalls, though requires careful management to prevent aggression.
The welfare case against gestation stalls is overwhelming: sows confined individually for 16 weeks of pregnancy cannot perform any natural locomotion, social, or exploratory behaviours. The resulting stereotypic behaviours — repetitive rooting, bar-biting, and head-weaving — are recognised indicators of severe psychological distress. Group housing addresses these fundamental needs, but the transition is not without challenges: aggression during group formation can cause injuries, and competitive feeding leads to variable body condition if not managed. Electronic Sow Feeding systems and adequate group sizes with appropriate space allowances resolve most of these issues. The welfare trajectory is clearly positive — the question is whether group housing is managed well enough to realise its potential.