Pig-farm energy management and welfare need to be designed as one operating system

The 19th Pig Farming in the 21st Century forum, part of the FEMOGA fair in Sariñena, places two issues together that are often managed separately on farm: energy efficiency and adaptation to new animal-welfare requirements. ASAJA Huesca announced the forum for 25 September; FEMOGA runs from 25 to 27 September 2026.

The programme includes a presentation on energy efficiency across different pig-farm types and another on adaptation processes for changing welfare rules and standards. This is an agenda rather than a technical outcome. Its relevance lies precisely in showing that future investment cannot be assessed solely through energy consumption or solely through regulatory compliance.

Ventilation, heating, cooling, automated feeding, lighting and building management affect both costs and the animals’ environmental conditions. The relationship is not automatic: an energy-saving measure can improve or worsen housing climate depending on design, maintenance and control. Assessment therefore needs indicators for technical performance, animal condition and operational reliability.

For the meat chain, the consequence begins before loading. A stable environment supports manageable animals and predictable processes; failures in climate or handling can carry variability into transport, slaughter and ultimately carcass quality. The Sariñena discussion is timely because it frames energy and welfare as one management task, with decisions that can be checked on farm.