SOWtrack is designed to improve how animal welfare is measured and assessed on pig farms across Europe. The project has two main objectives:
1. Identify the best animal-based measures (ABMs)
ABMs are direct observations of animals that provide evidence of welfare outcomes (e.g. body condition, skin lesions, or behaviour). The project will review existing indicators, evaluate their links to known welfare hazards (risks) and welfare consequences, and select those that are linked most strongly linked to welfare, and sensitive and are straightforward to use. This work will ensure that the chosen measures are practical to use on farms and meaningful in reflecting the welfare of sows and piglets.
2. Develop and test a harmonised data collection protocol
The second objective is to put these measures into practice. A standardised protocol will be created and tested in a pilot phase before being rolled out across 345 farms in 10 countries. A trained team of assessors will carry out visits using the same approach everywhere to ensure data consistency and comparability.
The data collected will entered into a secure database, designed to support future quantitative risk assessments by EFSA. This evidence will strengthen EU policy on animal welfare and help farmers, advisers, and policymakers work towards improvements across different production systems.
By combining scientific rigour with practical feasibility, SOWtrack will deliver a trusted foundation for assessing welfare in sows and piglets at European scale.
