Farm Animals

Farmed Pig Group Housing and Welfare Benefits

The welfare benefits of group housing for pigs compared to individual confinement systems.

Key Facts

Group housing allows pigs to perform natural social behaviours including play and exploration
Gestating sows in groups can have better welfare than individually housed sows with enrichment
Electronic sow feeders enable individual feeding in group settings
Stable social groups with minimal regrouping achieve the best welfare outcomes
EU gestation crate restrictions from 5 weeks after service have driven group housing adoption

Welfare Considerations

Group housing with appropriate management delivers better welfare outcomes for pigs than individual confinement, allowing natural social behaviour while meeting nutritional needs.

What You Can Do

Support legislation requiring group housing for all pregnant sows
Choose pork from group-housed pig systems
Advocate for group housing standards as the minimum requirement in pig welfare legislation