The requirement to house dry sows and served gilts in groups from January 1st 2013 poses the most immediate challenge to the Irish pig industry.This should.serve as a reference document not only for producers switching to group housing but because of the inclusion of recent research findings and updates from other EU countries, also for thosewho have already converted. For those with the unenviable task of trying to decide which system to opt for, blueprints for the four main systems already in use in Ireland are provided as well as a breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages associated with each one
