The science on gestation crate welfare is unambiguous: they prevent natural movement and behavior. Practical alternatives demonstrate that sow welfare and farm productivity can coexist.
The welfare evidence against gestation crates is extensive and consistent: confinement in a space too small to turn around causes physical inactivity, muscle atrophy, joint problems, and psychological frustration manifested as stereotypic behaviors. Sows are intelligent, socially complex animals with strong motivations to root, explore, and build nests before farrowing. Gestation crates prevent all of these behaviors throughout most of their reproductive lives. Group housing systems that meet sow behavioral needs are increasingly viable, and their adoption by progressive producers demonstrates that the welfare-productivity trade-off argument against reform is overstated.