Gestation crate
[4][5] Sow stalls contain no bedding material and are instead floored with slatted plastic, concrete or metal to allow waste to be efficiently collected below.
They are banned in the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland and Sweden, and in nine states in the US (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon and Rhode Island).
Groups of piglets bred for higher survival showed no difference in mortality when weaned in farrowing crates and outdoor systems.
The review goes on to describe several large studies dating from as early as 1983, the majority of which found no difference in piglet mortality rates between loose and crated sows.
The review also details an argument as to why piglet mortality rates have been reported to be somewhat higher in a comparably small number of studies, citing methodological flaws.
[39] Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in the United States, said in January 2007 that it will phase out gestation crates from its 187 piggeries over the next ten years because of concerns from its customers.
[40] In February 2012 McDonald's announced that it would begin working with suppliers to phase out the use of gestation crates in response to pressure from the Humane Society of the United States and other animal advocates.
[41] In February 2022, billionaire investor Carl Icahn pressured McDonald's board of directors to increase the speed of phasing out gestation crates.
[15] Temple Grandin of Colorado State University's Department of Animal Science said in 2007: "... basically you're asking a sow to live in an airline seat.
"[43] Pork producers argue that gestation crates are needed because sows that are housed together in pens will fight, injuring or killing their fellow penmates.
The American Association of Swine Veterinarians adopted a position statement in 2002 specifying five standards of sow welfare and concluding, "Current scientific literature indicates that individual gestation stalls meet each of the aforementioned, provided the appropriate level of stockmanship is administered.
"[49] Many studies have shown that sows in crates exhibit behavior such as bar-biting, head weaving, and tongue rolling, indicating chronic frustration.
[50] Sows in crates bite the bars, chew even when they have no food, and press their water bottles obsessively, all reportedly signs of boredom.
The Post (uncited reference) writes that a report by veterinarians for the European Union concluded that abnormal behavior in sows "develop[s] when the animal is severely or chronically frustrated.
[52] A review by the Scientific Veterinary Council of the European Commission states that repetitive "stereotypical" behavior has been found in "every detailed study" of pigs in gestation crates, but not in any other housing systems examined.
[58] According to John Webster, head of the Veterinary School at Bristol University in the United Kingdom, "Sows on concrete in confinement stalls suffer abuse according to all the Five Freedoms."
[62] Sows that have to lay on concrete flooring can experience excessive heat loss and chronic physical discomfort,[62] while this same concrete flooring can contribute to foot injuries,[60] joint pain complications,[61] and skin lesions[13] – due to the pigs' prolonged contact with an unusually hard surface and chronic inactivity.
[65] The lameness contributed to these weakened bones is also in part due to the hardness of the concrete flooring, which inevitably leads to a higher incidence of injuries to the feet and or legs,[66] not to mention shoulder sores and abrasions to the skin from rocks, sharp edges, and bolts fastening the crates in place.
[56] In a symposium held in 2002 on swine housing and well-being, Edmond A. Pajor, Associate Professor at Purdue University, told the audience that "In gestation stalls, sows are prevented from performing many of the behavior patterns that pigs would perform in more natural or less restricted conditions resulting in a negative impact on sow welfare.
"[69] Paul Sundberg, a veterinarian and vice president of the U.S. National Pork Board, a leading proponent of gestation crates, told The Washington Post: "Farmers treat their animals well because that's just good business.
