Farrowing crates that prevent sows from turning around during and after birth are being phased out in favour of alternative systems with better sow welfare but different management challenges.
Farrowing crate welfare involves a genuine trade-off between sow welfare and piglet survival that for decades was used to justify continued crate use. The evidence now shows that this trade-off is manageable with good system design and skilled stockpeople. Countries that have transitioned away from farrowing crates demonstrate that equivalent piglet survival rates are achievable in well-designed alternative systems. Sow welfare in farrowing crates is severely compromised: the inability to turn around or perform nesting behaviour during the highly motivated pre-farrowing period causes documented distress. The transition away from farrowing crates is both ethically justified and practically achievable.