The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) has issued a report on “Scientific Assessment of the Welfare of Dry Sows Kept in Individual Accommodations.”

The nine-member international task force of this new issue paper critically evaluates the scientific evidence of individual gestation accommodations (IGAs) for sows, including considerations for behavior, nutrition and feeding, reproduction, clinical examination and health, manure management, worker safety and system design.

The authors of the report indicate that no compelling evidence exists from scientific evaluations and comparisons of sow gestation systems that individual or group housing is more suitable for dry sow housing systems.

Chair of the task force is Stanley Curtis, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

The 20-page report is available free online at www.cast-science.org and in print by calling (515) 292-2125; there is a fee for shipping/handling.