Gestation stalls confine pregnant sows in spaces too narrow to turn around for most of their lives. The global movement toward group housing represents one of the most significant welfare reforms in modern animal agriculture.
The welfare case against gestation stalls is among the strongest in farm animal science. Keeping an intelligent, social animal in a space she cannot turn around in for most of her life causes documented psychological deterioration, chronic stress, and physical health problems including weakened bones from inactivity. The fact that effective alternatives exist — group housing systems proven in European markets — makes continued use of gestation stalls difficult to justify on anything other than short-term economic grounds. The global momentum toward elimination of this practice reflects growing recognition that basic standards of animal dignity deserve legal protection.