Dr. Steven McCulloch, head of research at the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, argues that the UK should ban the use of farrowing crates for pigs and the veterinary profession must provide its full support. Steven McCulloch is Senior Lecturer in Human-Animal Studies at the Centre for Animal Welfare, University of Winchester. Steven qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Bristol University and holds a BA Philosophy from Birkbeck College, London University. He has a PhD from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, for his thesis ‘The British animal health and welfare policy process: accounting for the interests of sentient species’.
Veterinary Record : ‘The UK must ban farrowing crates’ (wiley.com)
IN the UK, 60 per cent of the national pig herd farrows indoors in crates, with the remaining 40 percent free farrowing outdoors.1 Farrowing crates are metal cages that are 2 m long and around 60 cm in width and depth – they are barely bigger than the sows, who are able to stand up and lie down, but are not able to turn around. Farrowing crates cause the greatest degree of confinement of farmed animals in the UK and EU. Due to their severe welfare impact on sows, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, New Zealand and California have introduced full or partial bans on farrowing crates. I believe that the UK government must follow suit with a complete ban on crates……..
The full Article can be found here in the Veterinary Record: ‘The UK must ban farrowing crates’ (wiley.com)