The transition from farrowing crates to free farrowing systems is one of the most significant welfare improvements available in pig farming, overcoming the constraint of crate confinement during birth.
Farrowing crate welfare harm is clear: sows are unable to turn around, perform nest-building behaviour, or engage in normal maternal care for weeks around birth. The frustration of being unable to build a nest before farrowing is one of the most consistently documented acute welfare failures in commercial pig farming. Free farrowing systems demonstrate that piglet survival — the industrial justification for crates — can be maintained with appropriate design, making continued crate use difficult to justify on welfare grounds.