Document type : Article published on the DecodAgri website
Author : Renaud d'Hardivilliers
Preview: According to the Interprofession du Porc (Inaporc), only 2.7% of sows are kept in the open air and 1.6% of pigs are fattened there. The others live their lives in buildings that may or may not have access to the open air via a corridor. But why are so few pigs raised outdoors? […]
It is true that very few pigs are raised in the open air., but for what reasons? One reason is that, while technically possible, rearing pigs outdoors can be only be done on certain types of soil. It also requires more land than the rearing of pigs in buildings and requires more work from the farmer. Although building costs are much lower in free range systems, this does not compensate for other additional costs. Last, because of lower weaning and fattening performance, free-range farming is only economically viable in certain subsectors where higher prices can be asked (organic farming, free-range labels, direct sales, etc.).