Extreme Confinement of Sows Faces Ban.

• Position: PIGS ACT

Leading animal welfare groups and farmers are applauding the introduction of the Pigs in Gestation Stalls (PIGS) Act by Reps. Veronica Escobar (D.-Texas) and Nancy Mace (R.-S.C.) to ban the extreme confinement of mother pigs. Along with a wide range of other organizations, Animal Wellness Action, the Animal Wellness Foundation, and the Center for a Humane Economy endorse this bipartisan legislation--the first-ever Federal policy proposal to ban gestation crates.

Suffering from physical and psychological torment, a breeding pig may spend up to three years intensively confined in a crate barely larger than the animal. The sow may weigh 400 pounds, and the two-foot by seven-foot crate immobilizes her, inhibiting her from even turning around or taking more than a half-step. Pigs raised for meat are not kept in these needlessly restrictive crates, and neither should pregnant pigs.

"A national policy against gestation crates levels the playing field for all producers, retailers, and consumers, providing certainty and consistency for all stakeholders," says Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. "Keeping a sow in a two-foot-wide crate is akin to stuffing a large-bodied animal in a tiny little closet and never letting her out. All animals deserve humane treatment, including animals raised for food."

A report from Citigroup indicates that animal cruelty is a "headline risk" for restaurant companies. Additionally, a study from scientists at Iowa State University concluded that humane group housing alternatives allow for successful reproduction and cost less to build and maintain; the study points to an 11% reduction in the cost of raising a weaned pig. A Federal policy on gestation crates will help drive the transition of the food retail industry and create regulatory certainty by establishing a minimum space allotment for the animals.

"Pigs are sentient beings that feel pain and suffering. They are sensitive, gentle, and smart creatures that are treated with incredible cruelty before they are sent to be slaughtered," says Rep. Escobar...