Gestation stalls confine pregnant sows individually for most of their reproductive lives in spaces too small to turn around, causing chronic physical and psychological suffering in one of the most welfare-problematic practices in intensive agriculture.
Gestation stall confinement causes chronic physical and psychological suffering that is among the most severe and long-lasting in any farming system. A sow unable to turn around, unable to take more than one step forward or backward, and denied all social interaction for weeks or months experiences profound physical discomfort from pressure sores and muscle weakness, and psychological suffering from behavioural frustration. The bar-biting and rooting-on-concrete stereotypies that confined sows develop are irreversible behavioural indicators of a chronic welfare compromise that cannot be mitigated by any management change short of providing space and social contact. Group housing of gestating sows demonstrably meets their needs better. The persistence of gestation stalls in US pork production despite EU bans, retailer pledges, and public opposition reflects the gap between stated commitments and supply chain accountability.