Farm Animal Welfare

Pig Gestation Group Housing Management

Achieving good welfare outcomes in gestating sow group housing requires specific management skills to manage social dynamics effectively.

Key Facts

Electronic sow feeder systems allocate individual rations while allowing group housing
Competition at ESF stalls can cause stress and injury in poorly managed systems
Stable group composition with familiar animals significantly reduces aggression
Body condition monitoring in group-housed sows requires individual identification systems
Management of sow health in groups is more complex than in individual stalls

Welfare Considerations

Group housing for gestating sows provides genuine welfare benefits over stalls but realising those benefits requires management skills that prevent social stress from replacing confinement stress. Training and support for farmers transitioning to group systems is essential.

What You Can Do

Support training programmes for farmers transitioning to gestating sow group housing
Advocate for transition support funding for farms moving to group housing systems
Choose higher-welfare pork from farms with documented stable gestating sow group management