Animal welfare on the Danube
Agilo concept: group housing system for lactating sows makes its debut in Romania
With Serbia across the border, the Danube on the doorstep, Bulgaria further downstream, and the Carpathian foothills behind it, the Romanian commune of Burila Mare is situated in a geographical area that is unusually rich in contrasts. And right here, where Romania ends, Cooperativa Danubius S.R.L. began operating a farrow-to-wean sow farm in early 2026. All the housing equipment was supplied by Big Dutchman. At the heart of the project is an animal welfare housing system that is making its debut in Romania: the Agilo system for group housing of lactating sows. The aim is clear: enhanced animal welfare, practical work management – and economic viability.
The farm project was launched by an agricultural cooperative – a group of six investors. Five of them are Romanian farmers who provide the downstream finishing facilities on their farms.
Romania has a structural problem: the country, which was once one of Eastern Europe’s largest pork producers, now imports a significant proportion of the meat it needs.
“Following the upheaval of 1989, the Romanian pig production industry suffered a structural collapse in many regions. And despite occasional upturns, the risk of disease and a fragmented structure have continued to hamper its recovery to this day,” says Sales Manager Daniel Bartels, who oversaw the project on behalf of Big Dutchman. These issues make new, professional capacities in piglet production all the more important.
This is precisely where a Romanian funding programme comes in. The goal is to increase the number of pigs “born, reared and slaughtered in Romania”.
Three years from planning to the first piglet
The schedule was tight:
- 2023: planning and design phase
- 2024: construction phase
- Late 2025: completion
- Early 2026: commissioning, move-in
Farrow-to-wean
In Burila Mare, the farrow-to-wean principle applies: any pig born here is also weaned here and remains on the farm until the finishing phase starts. With 1,500 productive sows, the farm operators expect 45,000 piglets to leave the farm each year.
Technology package
Group housing of pregnant sows: In Burila Mare, the farmers rely on the CallMaticpro electronic sow feeding (ESF) system for pregnant sows – computer-controlled and precisely tailored to the condition of each individual animal. Big Dutchman installed 24 ESF stations. The sows benefit from group housing: greater freedom of movement, better physical condition and healthier animals. The stations are open at the top and well-lit so the sows accept them right from the start. Even gilts find their way around quickly. For the farm manager, this means healthy sows, performance-oriented feeding and an ideal use of the house surface area.
Group housing of lactating sows: There are a total of six compartments, each containing 88 pens. What sets the Agilo HL housing concept apart from other systems is the amount of space it offers: the sows are kept in the same group even before farrowing. When it is time to farrow, each sow retreats to her farrowing box, where dam and piglets can spend the first few days together undisturbed. This fosters good maternal bonding and reduces the risk of piglets being crushed. The next step is the “shared house”: the sow can move around freely in the group area; the piglets can follow her through the piglet access door and explore the shared space with drinkers, feeders and toys. Ranking fights occur early on and are relatively mild. The sows can move around and thus remain healthy. The piglets stay with their mother for 35 to 38 days. On many other farms, this period ends after just 21 days.
Pig house lighting: LED lamps control the brightness and daily rhythm in the house. For the animals, this means steady light without flickering. And for the farmer, energy consumption is lower, maintenance requirements are reduced and cleaning is easier.
Smart pig house management: What happens in the house doesn’t stay in the house – it all comes together in one central location: the Big Dutchman cloud platform BFN Fusion collects production data from all areas of the farm and makes it available in real time. Feeding, climate, animal numbers and more: all this information can be accessed via an app or laptop, from the office or the kitchen table, at a single farm or across multiple locations. If a value gets out of hand, the system alerts the farmer at an early stage, before minor issues turn into costly problems. Cooperativa Danubius S.R.L. thus always has all the figures to hand, which has tangible benefits. After all, only those who understand their data can manage their farms more effectively and produce more profitably.
For commissioning, a Big Dutchman team travelled to Romania to provide support, particularly at the ESF stations, where every minute counts in the first days.
A local partner
When it comes to ambitious pig housing projects like this one, one thing is crucial alongside the technology: reliable local partners. RAL Construct Management S.R.L. became involved early in the planning phase, oversaw the construction and remained on board until the farm began operating.
Burila Mare demonstrates how to make reconstruction successful: through professional piglet production, efficient work management and an approach that enables profitable animal welfare.
