There was a sigh of relief from British pig producers this week after the European Commission clarified the kind of flooring pigs will need to be housed on as of 2013 - and saved them millions of pounds in expense.

New EU rules on pig welfare, which will come into force on 1 January along with the partial sow stall ban, require farmers to keep sows on a minimum amount of “unobstructed floor” during pregnancy. A part of this has to be “continuous solid floor”, where a maximum of 15% can be taken up by drainage openings.

Pig producers had feared the new rules would require them to make changes - costing millions of pounds - to current housing and limit the use of floor slats, which are widely used in the UK.

However, the National Pig Association said Defra had sought clarification from the EC on the new rules and received assurances last week that slatted floors can count as “continuous solid floor” and would also meet the requirements for drainage openings.

The news follows the EC announcement two weeks ago there would be a 3mm tolerance level on slatted floors once the new rules come in.

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