Gestation stalls confine pregnant sows in spaces too small to turn around, representing one of the most severe welfare compromises in animal agriculture, with significant but incomplete progress toward elimination.
Gestation stalls represent one of the clearest cases of systematic welfare failure in animal agriculture. A sow in a gestation stall cannot turn around, take more than a single step forward or backward, or perform any meaningful locomotion for the duration of her 16-week pregnancy. She cannot groom herself, engage in normal social behavior, root, explore, or lie in a natural position. The cumulative welfare harm over a sow lifetime — repeated through multiple pregnancy cycles — is substantial. Musculoskeletal problems from permanent immobility, frustration from inability to perform motivated behaviors, and stress from social isolation all contribute to chronic welfare compromise. The welfare case for gestation stall elimination is among the strongest in farm animal welfare, and progress has been real but slower than corporate commitments suggested it would be.