Comprehensive review of welfare evidence on farrowing crates in pig production, examining the scientific consensus on sow suffering, piglet protection tradeoffs, and the case for transition to free farrowing systems.
The scientific evidence on farrowing crate welfare represents one of the clearest conclusions in farm animal welfare research: this system causes severe and prolonged welfare harm to sows through extreme behavioral restriction during a period of high motivation. The argument that farrowing crates protect piglets from crushing does not justify the scale of sow suffering — particularly given that well-designed free farrowing systems can reduce piglet crushing to comparable or lower levels while dramatically improving sow welfare. The persistence of farrowing crates in commercial production despite decades of welfare evidence reflects the economic and management challenges of transition, not uncertainty about the welfare harm. Consumer pressure, retailer commitments, and policy mandates are all essential to accelerate the transition that welfare science has long demanded.