Current legislation (Legislative Decree 122/2011) allows the sow to be kept in an individual stall up to the 28th day after mating. With a view to improving animal welfare, Rota Guido proposes group housing for these production stages, integrated with individual self-locking feeding stalls. This solution makes it possible to temporarily confine each animal for targeted management procedures, such as insemination or pregnancy checking, while maintaining efficient group management.

The pens are designed with an adequately sized free exercise area; the total surface area, including the feeding stalls, complies with current animal welfare requirements.

The most recent scientific studies on sow welfare have focused particularly on the farrowing phase, identifying suitable solutions and space requirements for keeping the sow free to move throughout the entire lactation period. Rota Guido has removed traditional farrowing crates from its design proposals, where the sow remains confined for the whole lactation period, and has fully adopted farrowing pens with a minimum surface area ranging from 6.50 m² to 7.50 m², while maintaining 1.20 m² for the piglets. These values are in line with those indicated by EFSA in its scientific opinion published in June 2022.