Gestational Sow Welfare: Science and Housing Systems

Key Welfare Facts

Gestation stalls restrict sow movement, preventing natural behaviours including rooting, exploration, and social interaction.
Prolonged stall confinement causes stereotypic behaviours, bone density reduction, and psychological impoverishment.
Group housing allows social interaction and movement but introduces aggression risks from dominance competition.
Stable groups with effective feeding management reduce aggression and improve welfare outcomes significantly.
EU legislation banned sow gestation stalls beyond the first 4 weeks of pregnancy from 2013 onwards.
Enrichment provision including rooting substrates, chains, and investigation objects improves welfare in both systems.

Welfare Assessment

Group housing with effective management represents a significant improvement in sow welfare over barren stall systems. Consumer purchasing decisions favouring products from enriched group housing systems incentivise further improvements throughout the sector.

What You Can Do

Choose pork products labelled as from enriched group-housing systems
Support legislative campaigns to end gestation stall systems globally
Ask retailers about sow housing policies of their pork suppliers
Support certification schemes requiring group housing with enrichment provision