Open sow housing deadline may prove difficult

WINNIPEG — Hog producers have until July 1, 2029, to convert their sow barns to open housing.

This means that in the next few years, there will be a rush to make decisions, hire contractors and get the necessary permits because hundreds of farmers still have to renovate or rebuild their barns.

Fifty to 60 per cent of sows on the Prairies are now housed in open systems, says a representative of New Standard Ag, a company that designs and manages housing and feeding systems for livestock.

Getting the remainder across the finish line will be a struggle.

“I really think we’re going to be challenged (to meet the deadline),” said Kevin Kurbis, a sales manager and sow housing expert with New Standard Ag.

Why it Matters: To continue raising pigs, farmers must convert their sow barns to satisfy national animal welfare rules and expectations in the U.S. market.

A few year ago, California’s Proposition 12 created minimum space requirements for sows, laying hens and veal calves, which effectively prohibits the use of sow crates.

Pork sold into California must satisfy those standards, and that has a ripple effect on Canada’s hog industry.

As well, Canada’s National Farm Animal Care Council code of practice says mated gilts and sows must be housed in groups or individual pens by July 1, 2029.

As of early 2026, close to 60 per cent of sows on the Prairies are now kept in open housing, but that number is heavily tilted toward the integrated companies, which operate hog barns and processing plants in Canada.

Maple Leaf Foods, for example, completed its transition to open sow housing in 2021.

The number of Prairie hog farmers who have made the conversion is much lower than 60 per cent, Kurbis said. It’s more like 25 per cent.

“The family farms, the colony farms, they’ve had a little tougher time with it,” he said in early February at the Manitoba Swine Seminar in Winnipeg.

“From a sow number, we’re a good way along, but from a farm or producer number… I would say we’ve still got 75 per cent of our producers to go.”

At the swine seminar, Kurbis showed a timeline with all the steps in the process, including planning, design, permitting, construction and setup.

Conversion of barns, or new construction, can take two or three years or possibly longer.

Some producers may need to adjust their plans because contractors and equipment won’t be available. That could mean delaying a sow barn conversion to 2030 or 2031.

“(If) I can’t make the 2029 deadline … I’m going to build a finisher barn first and rotate somebody else’s pigs through there to get cash flow,” Kurbis said.

“I’ll come back (later) and build a sow barn.”

The previous deadline in Canada’s code of practice to convert sows to open housing was July 2024. That deadline was extended to 2029 because there was little chance of compliance.

There’s no chance that will happen again, Kurbis said.

“That deadline is not being pushed.”

Every hog producer may not make the July 2029 deadline, but the mood in the industry has shifted compared to a couple of years ago.

With stronger prices and better economics, more hog farmers are thinking about the next 25 to 30 years and future opportunities in pork production.

Kurbis is encouraging farmers to think about the deadline as an opportunity to revamp their operations and improve the work environment inside hog barns.

“In those new builds or renovations, we can take a look at the lighting, the ventilation, at the general (atmosphere) in that barn,” he said.

Such changes will be necessary to retain employees and attract the next generation of workers in hog production, Kurbis added.

“The reality is, that younger generation has a different expectation of life than the last one.”