The shift from individual to group housing for farmed pigs — particularly gestating sows — is one of the most significant welfare reforms in livestock agriculture. Understanding what the evidence shows and the practical implementation challenges informs better policy and consumer choices.
Group housing for sows represents one of the clearest welfare improvements achievable in commercial pig farming, but its benefits depend critically on implementation quality. The evidence that gestation crates cause chronic suffering through movement restriction, inability to express natural behaviours, and stereotypic bar-biting is robust and consistent. Group housing eliminates these problems, but introduces new ones if poorly managed: mixing unfamiliar sows triggers aggression and injury, insufficient feeding resources cause competition and nutritional stress in subordinate animals, and inadequate space negates much of the welfare benefit. Successful group housing systems combine appropriate stocking density, ESFs or other individual feeding solutions, careful group composition management, and appropriate enrichment. The evidence supports the conclusion that well-managed group housing substantially improves sow welfare — and that management quality, not the housing system per se, determines welfare outcomes.