Gestation and farrowing crates prevent natural behaviour in sows, but alternatives require management investment to prevent piglet crushing deaths.
Farrowing crate welfare involves a genuine tension between sow welfare and piglet welfare. Crates prevent crush deaths but cause profound welfare harm to sows unable to turn, nest, or express natural maternal behaviours over weeks of confinement. Freedom farrowing pens, when well-designed with adequate nesting material, managed by skilled staff, reduce crush deaths to acceptable levels while dramatically improving sow welfare. The evidence from Sweden and Switzerland shows farrowing crate-free systems are commercially viable. The transition requires investment in pen design and stockperson training — both are welfare investments that produce productivity benefits through reduced sow lameness and improved lifetime performance.