European mixed farming systems with pigs - Key insights from national stakeholder workshops

Summary

The ROAM-FREE project brought together insights from five European countries - Denmark, Italy, Norway, Romania, and Slovenia - highlighting the remarkable diversity in how mixed farming systems (MFS) with free-range pigs are practiced and marketed. These systems range from large-scale, specialized organic pig farms in Denmark integrated into commercial retail chains, to smallholder, multi-species farms in Romania and Slovenia, where pigs are part of traditional, low-input systems. Italy and Norway represent intermediate models, with Italy focusing on agri-tourism and direct sales, and Norway on seasonal, pasture-based systems with regenerative elements.
This diversity extends to marketing and sales strategies. While Danish and some Slovenian farms supply supermarkets and restaurants, Italian farms often rely on on-site restaurants and online sales. In Romania, pork is primarily consumed within the household, with limited access to formal organic markets due to regulatory certification constraints. Norway’s farmers face challenges in scaling up due to high costs and limited consumer awareness, despite growing interest in high-welfare, environmentally friendly products from free-range systems.
Each country faces context-specific challenges. In Denmark, where a major focus is on integrating biodiversity into pig pastures and communicating its value to consumers, efforts like tree planting are challenged by limited regulatory flexibility and economic constraints. Italy faces biosecurity regulations that threaten free-range systems, while Romania’s small-holder multi-species farms are largely excluded from organic certification due to legislation designed for large-scale farming. Norway lacks national MFS regulations and faces public skepticism about free-range pig welfare in cold climates. Slovenia highlighted the need for better infrastructure, species-specific management, and knowledge transfer to support development of MFS with free-range pigs.
Despite these differences, several common themes emerged. Across all countries, stakeholders emphasised the need for more flexible and inclusive regulation and certification schemes, improved knowledge sharing, and strong networks among farmers. There was also broad agreement on the importance of communicating the added value of MFS - e.g. in terms of biodiversity and animal welfare - to consumers. Many participants saw potential in developing sustainability assessment tools or biodiversity labels to support marketing and consumer engagement.
In sum, while the diversity of systems and contexts makes it difficult to propose uniform recommendations, the workshops revealed shared aspirations for more supportive policies, better knowledge exchange, and recognition of the role that mixed farming systems with free-range pigs may play in advancing more sustainable agricultural practices across Europe.