Pigs are profoundly social animals. Transitioning from individual to group housing systems requires careful management but produces substantial welfare benefits and can be commercially viable.
Social housing for pigs addresses the most fundamental welfare deficit of intensive systems: the denial of social contact and behavior for profoundly social animals. The transition from individual to group housing is technically challenging — mixing unfamiliar pigs causes injury-producing fights — but manageable through careful introduction protocols, adequate space provision, and enrichment that redirects aggression. Progressive countries have demonstrated that group farrowing and sow housing can be commercially viable at scale. The welfare benefit is substantial: sows in group housing express a wider behavioral repertoire, show lower stress indicators, and have better reproductive performance than isolated individuals. Supporting the transition to group housing through certification preferences, regulatory advocacy, and consumer purchasing choices accelerates an improvement that benefits hundreds of millions of pigs annually.