Moving pregnant sows from individual stalls to group housing improves welfare but introduces new challenges around social hierarchy and feeding competition.
The transition from gestation stalls to group housing represented one of the largest welfare reforms in European pig farming. Stall-free housing allows sows to move, turn, engage in social behaviour, and express more natural behaviours. However, group housing introduces aggression risks, particularly at mixing and feeding times. Effective management involves stable groups, sufficient space to avoid reinforcing hierarchical conflicts, and individual feeding systems that allow subordinate sows to access adequate nutrition. The learning from European transitions is now informing reforms in other major producing countries.