Feasibility of free farrowing ("Haalbaarheid van vrijloopkraamhokken" in Dutch)

General introduction

Free-range farrowing pens offer a welfare-friendly solution for sow housing, but economic feasibility remains a bottleneck. Knowledge exchange between pioneering pig farmers and interested colleagues revealed that increased piglet losses, high construction costs, failure to obtain a premium price and uncertainties about future legislation are major obstacles to widespread adoption.

Research approach

The operational group, consisting of pioneers (who already have a free-range farrowing pen system) and pig farmers who will eventually invest in this type of pen, intensively shared knowledge about free-range stall pens. During farm visits and discussions, the advantages, disadvantages and economic implications of different systems were scrutinized.

Relevance/Valorisation

The findings of this operational group are relevant for pig farmers considering investing in free-range stall pens. The webpage of ILVO's Pig Information Center on "feasibility of free-range stall pens" highlights five Flemish examples and foreign systems. This information helps to weigh feasibility and economic impact. Partners in the group were 11 pig farmers, Boerenbond, KU Leuven, PVL and Varkensloket/ILVO.

Funding provider(s)
Boerenbond
Europees Landbouwfonds voor Plattelandsontwikkeling
Vlaamse Overheid - L&V

External partner(s)
Boerenbond
KU Leuven Thomas More
Varkensloket