Switzerland have had a ban on farrowing crates since 1997 and therefore have conducted a great deal of research on different systems.
![](https://freefarrow.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Swiss-system-1-1024x683.jpg)
The Agroscope Research Station designed the “FAT” pens which have had different iterations over the years. Many Swiss systems have similar key design features.
Key Features
The sow is given:
- Freedom of movement at all times
- Opportunity to nest-build
- Separate dunging and nesting areas
The piglets are given:
- Front creep environment
- Reduced spread of infection between pens
The staff are assured:
- Access to piglets via creep from outside pen
- Easy provision of nest building materials
- Easy opportunity to feed sows at front of pen
How to Build a Swiss Free Farrowing Pen
![](https://freefarrow.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/FAT2_floorplan_and_3D_updated.jpg)
You can view the FAT pen in operation and see Live webcam footage of sows and litters at Suisseporcs.
![](https://freefarrow.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/FAT-webcam-image-add-link.png)
Below are some companies that sell pens for pig production in Switzerland, including different kinds of free farrowing pen.
![](https://www.freefarrowing.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ATX-Strukturbucht-FF-pen-for-website-1-1024x683.jpg)
Example of Swiss FF pen from ATX-Suisse. Footage of these pens in operation can be found here.