New pig housing systems are transforming welfare for one of the world's most farmed species. Evidence-based innovations reduce suffering while maintaining farm viability.
Pig housing innovation represents one of the most impactful areas of farm animal welfare improvement because the scale is enormous and the baseline is so low. Standard confinement systems — gestation crates, farrowing crates, bare slatted floors — prevent nearly all natural behaviors for animals that are cognitively complex and behaviorally active. The alternative systems being developed and adopted address core welfare needs: movement, rooting substrate, social interaction, and nesting. Group housing with electronic sow feeding allows individual pigs to receive appropriate nutrition without crate confinement. Deep litter systems provide rooting substrate that pigs use intensively and that dramatically reduces frustration-driven behaviors. These innovations demonstrate that welfare improvements are achievable without abandoning intensive production.