Pig Farrowing Innovation and Sow Welfare

Innovative farrowing systems allow sow freedom while managing piglet crushing risk through evidence-based design.

Key Facts

Traditional farrowing crates confine sows to prevent piglet crushing while denying all natural behavior
Free-farrowing pen designs including PigSAFE and UltraSow allow sow movement with low crushing rates
Nest-building behavior in free-farrowing systems demonstrates the strength of this natural motivation
Research shows well-designed free-farrowing systems achieve piglet mortality comparable to crates
Several countries including Sweden and Switzerland have banned or are phasing out farrowing crates

Welfare Considerations

Farrowing crate replacement has long been held hostage to piglet mortality concerns, but innovative pen designs have demonstrated that sow welfare and piglet survival are not mutually exclusive. Purpose-designed free-farrowing pens that accommodate nest-building, posture changes, and maternal behavior while managing crushing risk achieve welfare-positive outcomes for sows without compromising piglet survival. This represents genuine technological progress that deserves regulatory and market support.

What You Can Do

Support pork from producers using free-farrowing or enhanced farrowing pen systems
Advocate for regulations requiring transition from farrowing crates to free-farrowing systems
Support research into innovative farrowing system design that protects both sow and piglet welfare
Follow the progress of countries phasing out farrowing crates as models for global reform
Reduce pork consumption to accelerate market transformation toward welfare-positive systems