Natural Farrowing Systems: Welfare Benefits and Challenges

Natural farrowing systems allow sows to express nest-building and maternal behaviors, offering welfare improvements over farrowing crates while presenting management challenges for reducing piglet crushing mortality.

Key Facts

Farrowing crates confine sows in a space too small to turn around for 4-6 weeks around farrowing
Sows show high motivation to build nests before farrowing, attempting nest-building behavior even without materials
Natural farrowing systems allowing movement and nest-building improve sow behavioral welfare significantly
Piglet crushing mortality in loose farrowing systems is typically higher than in crated systems
Sloped pen designs and rails that allow sows to rest gradually have been shown to reduce crushing rates
Danish, Swiss, and UK-based natural farrowing systems have achieved commercial viability
The EU has announced phase-out of farrowing crates but implementation timelines and details are still being established

Welfare Considerations

Farrowing crates prevent sows from performing highly motivated nest-building behavior and impose immobility for weeks at a time, causing significant welfare compromise through frustrated behavioral need and physical discomfort. Natural farrowing systems restore behavioral freedom and allow maternal behavior expression. The welfare trade-off involves higher piglet mortality in some systems, but well-designed loose farrowing pens with experienced stockpeople can achieve piglet survival comparable to crates. The transition to crate-free farrowing is both ethically important and technically achievable with appropriate investment in system design and training.

What You Can Do

Choose pork from producers using crate-free or free farrowing systems where available
Support EU crate-free commitments by major retailers and food companies
Engage with UK and US food companies about adopting farrowing crate-free commitments
Advocate for government support for farmers transitioning to natural farrowing systems
Support research into optimal natural farrowing pen design that balances sow and piglet welfare
Learn about the behavioral needs of sows around farrowing to understand why crates are problematic
Engage with agricultural training programs to include natural farrowing system management