The transition away from gestation crates to group housing for sows involves welfare challenges that require careful management.
The welfare outcomes of sow housing systems are not binary — group housing is not automatically superior if poorly managed. Sow aggression during group formation, inadequate space, poorly designed feeding systems, and unstable group composition can cause serious welfare problems in group systems. However, well-managed group housing enables movement, social interaction, and natural behaviour expression that permanently confined sows cannot access. Welfare monitoring in group systems should include lameness assessment, skin lesion scoring for aggression injuries, body condition monitoring, and behavioural observation. Training stockpeople to manage group dynamics effectively is as important as the physical system design.