EIP-Agri Field Pigs

Ensuring groundwater protection with animal welfare-friendly husbandry

The Field Pigs project will start at the beginning of October, focusing on natural pig husbandry as part of sustainable agriculture. The aim is to investigate how this future-oriented concept for greater animal welfare can also meet water law requirements. The aim is to develop practical solutions for the agriculture of tomorrow.

Six committed agricultural businesses are collaborating on the project with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, lk-projekt NÖ I Wien GmbH, the Lower Austrian Chamber of Agriculture, BAW Research, and Schweinehaltung Österreich. The project is being funded by the EU, the federal government, and the provinces for a project duration of four years.

The aim of the project is to develop an innovative housing system in which pigs are kept on unpaved farmland with covered areas and water law requirements are met. The nutrients produced are to be bound by large amounts of bedding and then used as farm manure on the farm's land, thus ensuring a sustainable circular economy. The system thus combines animal welfare, resource conservation, and future-oriented agriculture. 

Current information and developments on the project can be found on the Research – Forschung – Schweinehaltung Österreich