Transitioning from gestation crates is economically viable. Understanding the economic case helps farms and advocates make compelling arguments for welfare reform.
The economic dimension of welfare transitions matters because farms operate in commercial contexts. Welfare reforms that are economically unsustainable fail even when stakeholders have good intentions. Understanding that crate-free pork production is commercially viable removes the economic objection from the welfare argument. The evidence from European countries that have completed this transition demonstrates feasibility at scale. The remaining barrier in countries where crates persist is not economic necessity but regulatory inertia and market structure.