Balancing the welfare of sows and survival of piglets

It is easy for politicians and NGO’s to ask or even require loose housing of lactating sows – and easy for retailers in their marketing to brand ‘Loose’ like they brand ‘Organic’ or ‘Free range’. But how do we balance the welfare of sows and survival of piglets? Where we are today, loose housing of the farrowing sows increases piglet mortality – so should the sows be loose at all times at the expense of piglet survival? Or should they be outdoors at the expense of increased env