Species-appropriate pig housing systems allow pigs to express their full range of behaviours. This is somewhat easier in free-range systems than in indoor systems. At the same time, however, there is often a trade-off with soil conservation, at least in grass-based free-range systems. In the "good grunting" project, we are therefore investigating an innovation for soil-conserving, mobile free-range pig keeping and are looking for solutions to integrate rooting areas in pens with outdoor runs.
A living lab will be organised with farmers and other stakeholders to promote and develop the implementation of rooting areas in concrete outdoor pens. The aim is to exchange experiences, give advice and work on selected topics.
The “Sau Karavan”, an invention for keeping pigs outdoors in a way that protects the soil, will be designed and built with the involvement of practitioners. A prototype will be tested on a practical farm for two years, in exchange with other farms and the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, Austria, which will gain further experience in its application. The data collected will be discussed on an ongoing basis.
The knowledge gained will be used to promote the use of the “Sau Karavan” and to initiate the process for approval as an official pig housing system. The results of the rooting areas will be published in a leaflet and a video for practitioners. The optimal use of the “Sau Karavan” will be published in a leaflet, video and information event.
Project manager
