Gestation crates confine sows for most of their productive lives in spaces too small to turn around. Bans are spreading, but global transition is slow and compliance monitoring remains challenging.
Gestation crate welfare is a case where the welfare science is clear, the policy direction is established, and the remaining challenge is implementation and enforcement. Sows that cannot turn around for 16 weeks at a time are experiencing a fundamental deprivation of behavioral freedom that causes chronic frustration and physical deterioration from inactivity. The welfare case for elimination was made decades ago; the progress since has been real but slower than advocates hoped. Corporate supply chain commitments have been among the most effective drivers of change, because they create commercial accountability that legislative compliance monitoring often cannot match. The remaining challenge is ensuring that group housing systems that replace crates are genuinely managed for sow welfare rather than simply avoiding the specific harm of individual confinement.