The shift from individual sow stalls to group housing systems is a major welfare improvement for pigs. Managing this transition effectively determines whether welfare gains are realised in practice.
The transition from sow stalls to group housing is one of the most significant welfare reforms in modern pig farming, but it is not automatically beneficial — poorly managed group housing can result in serious injuries from aggression. The critical challenge is mixing management: introducing unfamiliar sows causes fights until dominance hierarchies are established, with bite wounds a significant welfare concern. Best-practice management includes providing adequate space, multiple feeding stations to reduce resource competition, hiding barriers, and stable long-term social groups that avoid repeated remixing. When properly implemented, group housing enables sows to express natural movement, social, and foraging behaviours suppressed by stalls — a fundamental improvement in welfare quality. Ongoing monitoring and stockperson training are essential to realising welfare gains.