Legislation
Dossier: Farrowing housing and management
The legal requirements related to farrowing housing and management can be found in Council Directives 98/58/EC and 2008/120/EC.
The requirements are structured around five focus areas for inspections:
- Space and freedom to move
- Comfortable climate
- Nest building and exploration
- Litter size and competition
- Mutilations
Listed requirements are citing the literal text of the directives and are not comprehensive. Moreover, there might be stricter national legislation in place. A more detailed description on the specific requirements is given in the review of farrowing housing and management.
Space and freedom to move
Council Directive 2008/120/EC
“The accommodation for pigs must be constructed in such a way as to allow the animals to:
- have access to a lying area physically and thermally comfortable (…) which allows all the animals to lie at the same time,
- rest and get up normally. (...).” {Annex I, Chapter I, point 3}
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“An unobstructed area behind the sow or gilt must be available for the ease of natural or assisted farrowing.” {Annex I, Chapter II, point B4}
“Where a farrowing crate is used, the piglets must have sufficient space to be able to be suckled without difficulty.” {Annex I, Chapter II, point C2}
Comfortable climate
Council Directive 2008/120/EC
“A part of the total floor, sufficient to allow the animal to rest together at the same time, must be solid or covered with a mat, or be littered with straw or any other suitable material.” {Annex I, Chapter II, point C1}
Nest building and exploration
Council Directive 2008/120/EC
“in the week before the expected farrowing time sows and gilts must be given suitable nesting material in sufficient quantity unless it is not technically feasible for the slurry system used in the establishment.” {Annex I , Chapter II, point B3}
For exploration “pigs must have permanent access to a sufficient quantity of material to enable proper investigation and manipulation activities, (...).” {Annex I, Chapter I, point 4}
Litter size and competition
Council Directive 98/58/EC
“Natural or artificial breeding or breeding procedures which cause or are likely to cause suffering or injury to any of the animals concerned must not be practiced. (...).” {Annex , point 20}
“No animal shall be kept for farming purposes unless it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype or phenotype, that it can be kept without detrimental effect on its health or welfare.” {Annex, point 21}
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Council Directive 2008/120/EC
“No piglets shall be weaned from the sow at less than 28 days of age unless the welfare or health of the dam or the piglet would otherwise be adversely affected. However, piglets may be weaned up to seven days earlier (...).” {Annex I, Chapter II, point C3}
Mutilations
Council Directive 2008/120/EC
{Annex I, Chapter 1, point 8}:
“Neither tail docking nor reduction of corner teeth must be carried out routinely but only where there is evidence that injuries to sows' teats or to other pigs' ears or tails have occurred. (...).”
“(...). If castration or docking of tails is practised after the seventh day of life, it shall only be performed under anaesthetic and additional prolonged analgesia by a veterinarian.”