Why the confinement of pigs needs addressing urgently

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Why the confinement of pigs needs addressing urgently

Friday, 26 July 2024

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It’s a pressing animal welfare issue in Australian farming. Every day across Australia, more than 2 million young pigs are raised for meat in barren indoor farming systems, while their parents – the breeding herd - endure extended periods of extreme confinement in farrowing crates, mating stalls, or boar stalls.

Pigs are social and intelligent animals with distinct personalities, they love to forage and explore and thrive in an enriched environment. When farmed in restrictive systems, they’re given little space or opportunity to perform natural behaviours that are essential to their wellbeing.

In conventional farming systems, adult female pigs (gilts and sows) used for breeding are commonly kept in groups but placed in farrowing crates (to give birth) and mating stalls (for artificial insemination) while adult male pigs (boars) may be housed permanently in individual boar stalls. These crates and stalls severely limit the pig’s ability to move freely and engage in natural behaviours. With barely enough room to take more than one step forward or backwards, and unable to turn around, housing pigs in crates or stalls deprives them of the opportunity for positive experiences, resulting in boredom, frustration, aggression, and distress.

Life for the average pig

Most sows, boars, and growers (pigs grown for meat) in intensive farming systems are housed indoors on concrete slatted floors with no bedding or enrichment. Pigs are incredibly curious and having a variety of enrichment is vital for their mental wellbeing. When deprived of opportunities for mental stimulation and positive social interaction they will easily become bored, frustrated, and even aggressive towards other pigs. With the widespread understanding of pigs’ intelligence and emotional capacity, more must be done to improve the conditions in which pigs are farmed and both growing pigs and breeding pigs should be given the space and opportunity to perform highly motivated natural behaviours.

Farrowing crates

While sow stalls to house pregnant sows have now been largely phased out voluntarily by the pig industry (though their use has not been completely eradicated, around 88% of industry is free of sow stalls), farrowing crates are still widely used. Farrowing crates (referred to by the pig industry as a ‘piglet protection pen’) are metal-barred crates roughly two metres long and similar in size to a sow stall except narrower. The farrowing crate has an area around it for piglets to move away and avoid accidentally being crushed by their mother (this is a genuine risk, but one that can be mitigated without needing to confine sows). While confined to the farrowing crate, a sow can stand up, take a step, or lie down on the slatted floors but she is unable to turn around or do little else. It is essentially a sow stall by another name.

In a conventional farming system, a pregnant sow will be moved into the farrowing crate roughly one week before she’s due to give birth and stay there until her piglets are weaned at around four weeks of age. She will spend this time unable to carry out innate foraging and nesting behaviours (such as nest seeking and nest building), and unable to properly interact and bond with her piglets.

Sows confined to farrowing crates risk injuries due to extended lying on hard surfaces or difficulty changing positions within the crate. They have trouble resting properly and regulating their body temperature due to movement restriction. The inability to carry out natural behaviours, including exploratory and maternal behaviours, leads to frustration and sows will often develop abnormal behaviours to cope, such as stereotypic sham chewing or bar biting.

Once her piglets are weaned, a sow may then be moved into a mating stall (similar to a sow stall) to be artificially inseminated and will be kept there for up to five days before being returned to a group pen or shed with other sows. The breeding cycle of pig farming means sows will spend extended periods of their lives confined behind the bars of a farrowing crate.

Mating stalls and boar stalls

A mating stall is a crate used to hold an adult female breeding pig (sow) for artificial insemination. In the mating stall, the sow can stand up or lie down but she is unable to turn around. It is effectively the same as a sow stall and she can be confined for up to five days post insemination. Mating stalls are used by the industry to protect sows from aggression from other sows which may occur when sows are mixed into groups after weaning or immediately after insemination. In recently inseminated sows, such aggression may lead to pregnancy loss. However, the trade-off is that just like in farrowing crates, the sow is unable to perform natural behaviours, such as foraging, or interacting socially with other pigs. The RSPCA believes that mating stalls should only be used for the minimum period required to carry out the insemination procedure after which the sow should be returned to her group pen or shed.

Similar to a sow stall, boar stalls are metal-barred crates used to house adult male breeding pigs (boars). While confined in the stall, a boar will have just enough room to stand or lie down but he is unable to turn or walk around. By current industry standards, boars are only required to be taken out of the stall for mating or twice a week for exercise. The rest of his days are spent confined to this small space, suffering the same negative welfare impacts as confined sows including chronic stress, frustration, impaired mobility and developing abnormal behaviours to cope with his restricted environment. This is no life for a pig.

The law needs to change

The Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals – Pigs 3^rd edition published in 2008 is a guide that outlines the standard of care expected of pig producers. While the Standards within the Code can be used as a reference in court in the event of a cruelty complaint, they are still advisory only and this leaves a considerable margin for poor welfare. Being more than than 16 years old, the Code is outdated and still allows the extreme confinement of breeding pigs in sow stalls, farrowing crates, mating stalls, or boar stalls.

We must do better

The RSPCA believes pigs should be reared in an environment that allows freedom of movement and ability to express natural behaviours, and meets their physical and mental needs.

Farrowing crates should urgently be phased out in favour of farrowing systems that allow sows to move freely and meet the needs of sows and piglets equally. Sow stalls and individual stalls for boars should also be phased out in favour of group housing for sows and large individual pens for boars.

Pigs farmed in Australia deserve better. Concerned individuals can make a meaningful difference for farmed pigs by advocating for better laws to protect their welfare, and only purchasing pork products from producers who farm to higher-welfare standards.

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Why the confinement of pigs needs addressing urgently

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