info@certifiedhumane.org
PO Box 82 Middleburg, VA 20118
Recognized By
Endorsed By
Many animal welfare organizations
Find Us In Argentina, Australia, the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Thailand, Türkiye, the United States, Uruguay, and Vietnam.
Farrowing Systems
A farrowing system is where a sow gives birth to her piglets and remains with the piglets until they are weaned.
HFAC’s Animal Care Standards state that a sow must be housed in a farrowing environment that is bedded and allows her to turn around. Traditional straight, narrow farrowing crates are not permitted. Farrowing pens of 10 ft x 10 ft (3 m x 3 m) are preferred because they provide more room for the sow to move around, but when using pens of this size or larger, a protected zone (creep space) for piglets must be provided. The protected zone must be at least 8 ft2 (0.8 m2 ) in size and zone heated.
Photos of farrowing systems allowed on the HFAC program: