Gestation stalls confine pregnant sows in spaces too small to turn around for up to 16 weeks, causing severe welfare harm — and the industry is being pressured to transition to group housing.
Gestation stalls represent one of the most welfare-compromising practices in modern agriculture: pregnant sows confined for months in spaces that prevent normal movement, social interaction, or behavioral expression. Sows cannot turn around, form social bonds, root, or perform any of the behaviors that are fundamental to their wellbeing. The evidence that group housing with adequate space and management dramatically improves welfare is unambiguous. Corporate commitments and consumer pressure have driven significant progress, but implementation timelines stretch years into the future while hundreds of millions of sows continue experiencing this confinement annually.