Group housing for pigs allows expression of social behaviour but requires careful management of aggression, resources, and space to deliver welfare benefits over individual or confined systems.
Group housing for pigs is a welfare improvement over individual confinement in sow stalls when managed well, but poorly managed group housing can produce worse welfare outcomes than the systems it replaced. The key challenge is aggression management: pigs establish social hierarchies through fighting, and mixing unfamiliar animals produces predictable aggression peaks that cause injuries and stress. Systems that minimise regrouping, provide adequate space per animal, prevent resource monopolisation at feeders, and offer enrichment for redirecting investigation behaviour produce substantially better welfare outcomes than minimal-compliance group housing. Electronic sow feeding systems that allow individual animals to access feeders without competition represent a significant technical solution, though capital cost limits adoption. The welfare potential of group housing is real but requires management investment to realise.