On June 25, Asia Research and Engagement (ARE) co-hosted a technical forum with the China Breeding Pig Information Network & Science Platform at Muyuan Foods headquarters in Henan. The event officially launched a national initiative to advance sustainable, efficient, and welfare-focused sow housing, attracting around 150 stakeholders from China’s pig industry, academia, and supporting sectors.
The forum was opened by Professor Sun Delin, Chief Editor of the China Breeding Pig Information Network and a leading voice in China’s swine industry, who stressed the value of the country’s 39 million sows and the need for modernised sow housing systems.
Dr Kate Blaszak, Director of Protein Transition at ARE, formally launched the forum alongside Professor Sun, and a panel of distinguished speakers: Xu Dianxin, Vice President of the Guangxi Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Association and President of its Pig Farming Branch; Gao Yuanfei, Vice President of a leading enterprise managing over 250,000 sows; Hang Le, Southeast Asia Manager at Humane World for Animals (HWA); and Liu Zonghu, Vice President of the Heilongjiang Animal Husbandry Association and President of its Pig Farming Branch.
Each brought their deep domain expertise to the session, reinforcing the case for the reform of sow housing and management.
The Case for Group Housing: 39 Million Sows, Untapped Potential
In his opening address, Professor Sun Delin urged the industry to embrace group housing as a smart, forward-looking strategy. While it has been practiced in China for more than a decade, widespread adoption remains limited due to perceived concerns over cost, disease, and a lack of technical skills.
Pre-implantation group housing — which involves mixing sows before fertilised egg implantation — can improve group stability, sow fertility and deliver cost savings, with international cases showing reductions in capital and operational expenses.
Insights from International Case Studies: Lower Capital Costs, Higher Returns
Hang Le, at HWA, presented their latest business case for pre-implantation group housing. Drawing on case studies from major companies in Brazil, Spain, Italy, she showed that early mixing systems can maintain or improve sow performance while significantly reducing capital expenditure.
Leiden (Zhicheng) Lei, a former Chinese pig producer and now Commercial Director of China at Jyga Technologies, shared design insights and real-world implementation experiences for sow group housing in China.
Presenting remotely from Canada, Cassandra van Engelen, General Manager of Hog Tied Farms, offered an in-depth video tour of her family’s group housing system and data-driven management practices, showing how electronic feeding stations and heat detection tools have helped their farm sustain low sow mortality and high production efficiency over time.
Collectively, these cases underscore the production and economic viability of transitioning to early sow group housing systems.
Designing for Welfare and Efficiency and a Note on Disease
Dr Blaszak, of ARE, spoke about sow behaviour and the critical need for staff training. She highlighted the role of Pig Signals, a Netherlands-based animal welfare training provider now operating in China. Kate also addressed disease concerns, noting that improved ventilation often reduces internal respiratory disease, while strong external-level biosecurity protocols remain essential for any housing system.
Tools to Support Producer Decision-Making: A Calculator Built on Chinese Farm Data
To support producers with decision-making, Stella Chang, ARE’s Corporate Engagement Manager for China, launched a new cost calculator designed to help producers assess the viability of retrofitting or new builds. The tool also compares free-access stalls with more advanced electronic feeding systems capable of tracking sow weight, temperature, insemination readiness, and other precision farming indicators.
Market Incentives and Consumer Potential: 81% Support Group Housing
To boost market pull, Yubin Zhou from Compassion in World Farming International introduced the new global ‘Sow Stall Free Award’ scheme for producers, retailers, restaurants, and hotels that commit to transitioning to stall-free systems within five years. Notably, some international groups operating in China have already adopted these standards.
Xun Jianguo of Shandong Delicious Group, an established listed Chinese manufacturing company in the audience, shared that they are sourcing higher-welfare pork to meet rising local and global expectations. According to a past consumer survey by World Animal Protection, 81% of Chinese consumers, surveyed from tier one cities, support sow group housing, and 75% would pay more for higher-welfare pork derived from such system.
There is potentially a significant untapped premium pork market in China. However, it will be the cost-efficiency, productivity gains, and operational advantages of early mixing systems that drive mainstream adoption at little to no extra cost.
Industry Response and Growing Ecosystem: Cross-Border Demand for Chinese Expansion
ARE was approached by Groupe ISAGRI, a France-based provider of agricultural technology solutions, and China’s Henan Hengyin Automation Technology Co., Ltd, both of which expressed strong interest in expanding the reach of their precision feeding systems in China. With current adoption concentrated in Europe, South, and North America, both companies see significant opportunity in the Chinese market. Additional enquiries during the forum focused on skilled labour requirements, application of the cost calculator, and the broader ecosystem of support now available to facilitate adoption.
A Coordinated Path Forward: From Pilot to National Shift
The forum closed with a strong sense of momentum and collaboration. With tools, training, and expert support, early mixing sow group housing represents a practical, economical, and welfare-aligned shift for China’s pig industry. As Professor Sun Delin concluded, “This forum marks not just a conversation but the beginning of a movement.”
For more information on the Business Case in English or Chinese please access the reports HERE OR to trial the cost calculator, contact [email protected].
