We are making strong progress on our commitment to phase out individual gestation stalls for pregnant sows at all company-owned sow farms and replace them with group housing. We have 30 percent of sows on company farms in group gestation housing facilities, and we have been making significant capital expenditures to increase the number of farm conversions. We estimate the total cost of our transition to group pens will be in excess of $300 million.
Few farms are exactly alike. Some require extensive retrofits and reconfiguration to create the new housing; many require new permits from state agencies in order to make any significant changes.
[Percentage of Sows in Company-Owned Group Housing Chart]
All values reported by calendar year.
Sows housed in group pens require different animal husbandry practices than sows in individual stalls, and our farm workers receive specific training to carry out the different techniques. For example, we monitor the animals to protect docile sows from harassment by more aggressive animals. The first market animals to be produced from our new group housing facilities reached the market in early 2009.
For more on sow gestation and our farms, please watch our video series.
Our own research shows that both group housing and individual gestation stalls can work equally well from an animal care and production standpoint. Our decision to switch to group housing demonstrates our responsiveness to our customers, many of whom perceive group housing as preferable to individual stalls.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has come to the conclusion that no one sow housing system is clearly better than any other, and each system has both advantages and disadvantages. The association states that sow housing systems should do the following:
- Minimize aggression and competition among sows;
- Protect sows from detrimental effects associated with environmental extremes, particularly temperature extremes;
- Reduce exposure to hazards that result in injuries, pain, or disease;
- Provide every animal with daily access to appropriate food and water;
- Facilitate individual animal care; and
- Allow sows to express most normal patterns of behavior.
