Free-farrowing systems that allow sow movement are increasingly being adopted as alternatives to farrowing crates. Understanding welfare outcomes in different systems guides better industry transitions.
Free-farrowing systems provide significant welfare benefits for sows by enabling the expression of pre-farrowing nesting behaviour, freedom of movement and natural maternal interaction with piglets. Sows in farrowing crates cannot perform these behaviours throughout a 4-5 week confinement that is one of the most welfare-costly periods in the pig's productive life. The welfare cost of higher crushing rates in poorly designed or poorly managed free-farrowing systems is real but addressable through better pen design and stockpersonship. The welfare calculus overwhelmingly favours well-implemented free-farrowing over crate confinement when both sow and piglet welfare across the full farrowing period are considered.