How sows are managed during farrowing is one of the most contested welfare issues in pig farming. Understanding the evidence helps navigate the tradeoffs between sow and piglet welfare.
Farrowing system welfare involves genuine tradeoffs that make this one of the most technically complex welfare decisions in pig farming. Crates prevent crushing, which kills piglets and causes piglet welfare harm, but cause significant sow welfare harm through confinement. The welfare arithmetic of preventing one set of harms while imposing another requires careful assessment rather than simple condemnation of crates or simple acceptance. Well-designed free farrowing systems with appropriate bedding, space and skilled management can achieve low piglet mortality while providing sow welfare benefits. The challenge is that free farrowing welfare outcomes depend heavily on management quality, making the welfare case for crate abolition contingent on investment in farmer training and system design rather than simple crate removal.