Farm Animals

Farmed Pig Group Housing Research and Practice

Research into group housing welfare outcomes has generated evidence-based practices that can be applied to improve pig welfare in commercial systems.

Key Facts

Group sow housing became mandatory in the EU in 2013 but welfare outcomes vary greatly
Research at major institutes has identified key risk factors for aggression and poor welfare
Feeder design, space allowance, and group size all interact in complex ways
Electronic sow feeding with good management can achieve excellent welfare outcomes
Whole-farm welfare assessments like Welfare Quality integrate multiple indicators

Welfare Considerations

The transition to group housing has demonstrated that management quality determines welfare outcomes, not just housing type. Research findings on optimal group size, feeder design, space allowance, and enrichment are available but inconsistently applied. Disseminating and incentivising uptake of evidence-based practices is the key challenge for improving group housing welfare.

What You Can Do

Support dissemination of group housing welfare research to farmers
Advocate for welfare auditing using validated multi-indicator assessment tools
Choose pork from farms that have implemented evidence-based group housing management