A group from across the UK pig industry recently spent an informative three days in Spain to gather facts and share information on the journey from conventional farrowing crates to flexible systems. ALISTAIR DRIVER reports on the key findings
European pig industries, such as Spain, are experiencing the same concerns as the UK, and are going through a similar trial and error process when it comes to inevitable reform of farrowing systems.
The Spanish and UK pig sectors are both reporting encouraging, but mixed, results in terms of welfare and performance when it comes to formative use of flexible farrowing systems, and both are deeply concerned, not just about the capital cost of the transition, but about the impact of the extra space required on production capacity.
And both sectors are still floundering in the absence of any certainty about exactly what the new requirements will look like, and the timescales involved – and are trying to create their own evidence base to seize the initiative.
Spain has a reputation as a sector that had invested heavily in flexible farrowing systems. With that in mind, a UK delegation – co-sponsored by Hipra and the AHDB Buildings Suppliers Forum, which brings the UK pig sector together to prepare for changes to farrowing regulation – spent an informative three days in north-eastern Spain assessing where they are up to and exchanging information and ideas.
“This was about starting a conversation with EU member states, like Spain, who are gathering evidence on flexible farrowing systems, to look at what types of systems and footprint sizes have been adopted and the financial implications,” said Zanita Markham, AHDB’s engagement manager for pork.
“The aim was to meet large-scale producers and industry representatives to discuss challenges and solutions that may be aligned across the water and take home and share accurate statistics on the Spanish pig sector’s progress.”
Pen size
NPA senior policy Katie Jarvis said the biggest question in Spain, just as it in the UK, is over the pen size, with different European countries having different average sizes – for example, Spain is at 5.5-6.5 sqm, Austria 5.5 sqm, Sweden 6 sqm and Germany 6.5 sqm.
ANPROGAPOR, Spain’s National Association of Pig Producers, has taken a bold approach by advising their members what to do, she said. “Like us, they have businesses desperate to invest and upgrade, so it is perhaps understandable that they’re taking a punt on what they might be allowed under legislation,” she added.
“A meeting with Miguel Angel Higuera, from ANPROGAPOR, showed us that we have a lot in common. Balancing the anticipated demands of our respective governments, and the European Commission in Spain’s case, while trying to support producers is a difficult balance when nobody has a definitive answer on what these adaptive or flexible systems should look like.”
Spain is part of a cohort of countries, also including Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Portugal, that has carried out an industry-led impact assessment into the costs of different systems.
The group visited two of Spain’s integrated businesses – Friselva, a 20,000-sow producer with its own processing site, which is not using flexible systems yet, and Batalle, a 30,000-sow business exporting large volumes of meat, which is beginning to put them in place.
The group also spoke to Exafan, a Spanish pig housing supplier, which provided insight into Spain’s progress so far, Spanish thinking on pen footprint, the costs of the transition and planning issues around new housing.
According to AHDB Pork Sector Council member, Farmex’s Hugh Crabtree, Spain has not made quite as much progress as initially thought. “A number of large-scale companies have invested in flexible systems, but only in new construction and at a relatively small-scale, very like the UK,” he said.
ANPROGAPOR estimates that only 4-5% of the herd, about 10-15,000 places, are covered so far. “From my calculations, this means the installed and operated systems in the UK represent a bigger percentage of the indoor herd than in Spain and probably anywhere else at the moment,” Hugh said.
Key learnings
Zanita added: “We are much more alike Spain, than different. They are a larger industry, with exactly the same issues with staff, planning, build costs and more.
They are about as advanced as the UK with respect to flexible farrowing systems, and are in the same position as us with the same ideas. Like the UK, Spain is also looking at the transition time required for their housing stock, which is almost identical for UK housing.
“One of the most interesting findings is the estimated 20% reduction in the Spanish sow herd that would be needed to compensate for the loss of pen footprint within the existing overall house footprint. There is great uncertainty in Spain over what funding, if any will become available for producers.”
Thompson, Tim Miller, Darren Farnsworth, Andy Hall and Jaco Fouche
The political state of play
In 2020, Defra’s new Code of Practice for the Welfare of Pigs stated that reducing sow confinement during farrowing and a shift to less confined alternative systems was to be a priority for UK pig producers.
Soon after, with Zac Goldsmith the driving force at Defra and Carrie Johnson seemingly pulling the strings in Downing Street, it appeared we were moving rapidly towards legislative proposals.
However, a combination of Ministerial change at Defra, the pig crisis and a growing acceptance of the complexities, costs and genuine risks of exporting pig production involved, meant the process has been put on political ice.
However, with an autumn General Election looking increasingly likely, and a very possible change of government, the main parties’ manifestos will be awaited with great interest. It might well be that we start to see some real movement after the election.
In Europe, some smaller pig producing countries, including Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, have banned farrowing crates, while in 2020, Germany proposed phasing them out by 2035.
At the EU level, the European Citizen Initiative ‘End the Cage Age’, launched in 2018, led to the European Commission announcing in 2021 that ‘by the end of 2023’, a legislative proposal would be in place to ‘phase out, and finally prohibit the use of cage systems’ for pigs and other specified sectors. They would ‘assess the feasibility of working towards the proposed legislation entering into force’ from 2027.
While discussions have continued, no firm proposals have yet been launched.
Highlighting the ongoing pressure coming from NGOs, in mid-March, the End the Cage Age European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) launched legal action against the European Commission over its failure to deliver its commitment to ban caged farming.
UK next steps
AHDB and NPA are looking to compile complimentary evidence on the impacts of legislation change and ways of supporting producers
In autumn 2023, the NPA commissioned a report into flexible farrowing systems to examine the commercial experience so far in this country, including assessing different footprints in terms of welfare, performance, management issues and more.
The industry is also determined to present a clear picture of all the costs involved, as well as the capacity of suppliers to install new systems and, crucially, potential planning constraints, to make a robust case for a sufficient transition period and financial support.
AHDB is currently undertaking a full economic assessment by updating a 2021 report comparing widespread use of different farrowing systems in the British pig sector. It looks into economic effects, including piglet mortality, building costs and more – even the effect of losing the indoor industry, entirely.
“AHDB is again hosting Defra on farm in April to look first-hand at what adaptive farrowing systems look like,” Zanita added.
“Special thanks to Hipra for facilitating the trip using their industry contacts, who were open and transparent on their businesses and the decisions they are making about the future.”
- Further details on research findings on farrowing systems from the UK, Spain and elsewhere, will be published when available.