Farrowing crates confine sows during birth and nursing to reduce piglet crushing deaths. The practice severely restricts sow movement and natural behaviour, creating a welfare trade-off debated by scientists and policymakers worldwide.
The farrowing crate debate encapsulates the conflict between protecting one category of animal (piglets) by imposing severe welfare costs on another (sows). The scientific evidence is clear that continuous farrowing crate confinement seriously compromises sow welfare: inability to turn, nest, or express maternal behaviour causes acute frustration and chronic discomfort. The question is whether crushing losses in free farrowing systems are acceptable. Evidence from well-managed free farrowing systems shows that crushing rates comparable to or only slightly above crate systems are achievable with good pen design, stockmanship, and breed selection. The welfare balance, when all animals are considered, increasingly favours free farrowing as the higher welfare option when properly managed.