Banning Farrowing Crates – Transitioning to free farrowing to meet the welfare needs of pigs

Farrowing crates cause the greatest degree of confinement of farmed animals of any system in the UK and European Union. The crate measures approximately 198cm x 60cm x 60cm with a footfall (area) of 1.23m².1 This means that the sow is able to stand up and lie down, but is unable to turn around or move freely to explore her environment. In the UK, 60% of breeding sows are kept in crates, meaning over 200,000 sows are confined in this way