About the Project
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Building a pathway to better pig welfare: A pilot project collecting welfare data on farms
SOWtrack is a European project, funded by EFSA, that is developing new ways to assess the welfare of sows and piglets on farms. Over the next three years, our team plans to visit 345 pig farms in 10 countries, covering 14 different farming systems. The project has two main goals:
- To identify the best animal-based measures (ABMs) to monitor welfare. The project will consider four key dimensions: coverage, impact, sensitivity and feasibility.
- To test these measures on farms using a harmonised protocol. A trained team of farm assessors will collect data. These data will be stored in a secure database. All farm and personal data will be anonymised according to GDPR before being shared with EFSA. Farmers who participate will receive benchmarking feedback, showing how their farm compares with anonymised averages across systems and countries.
SOWtrack will create the first EU-wide dataset on sow and piglet welfare. The results will support better risk assessment, inform evidence-based policy, and help improve welfare outcomes across Europe. By taking part, farmers help build on the EU’s already strong standards of animal welfare, while benefiting from secure data handling, expert feedback, and fair recognition of their role in this important pilot project.
