Published 1/15/2014

While the EU has now banned gestation crates for mother pigs, this close confinement system is still legal in the USA. In this system, mother pigs are kept for their whole lives in cages so small that they cannot turn around or lie down easily. However, food businesses in the USA are now starting to show steady progress toward eliminating these inhumane crates from  their supply chain.

Last week, two industry giants made announcements to show that it won’t be long before the worst of this system is a thing of the past. Smithfield announced that its gestation crate elimination policy will now extend to its contractors. Tyson announced that all new facilities and renovated facilities should allow mother pigs the ability to turn around. While Tyson has yet to fully commit to eliminating gestation crates, it is a welcomed step in the right direction.

Compassion in World Farming welcomes these advances and continues to encourage companies to improve the lives of farm animals through their policies and practices.