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The Canadian pork industry vowed to phase out gestation crates by July 1, 2024. While the industry recommended an extension of this deadline until 2029, no formal changes were made to the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) Code of Practice to implement this recommendation. Meanwhile, July 1, 2024, has come and gone and sows continue to be housed in these restrictive and inhumane gestation crates.
Learn more about what this means for Manitoba’s pigs.
Background
What is a gestation crate?
A gestation crate is a small, metal enclosure that confines female pigs (sows) for most of their adult lives. They are typically about 7 feet long and 2 feet wide, which means that sows are unable to turn around or fully extend their limbs.
A sow generally enters a gestation crate at 6 months old for impregnation and remains in that gestation crate for approximately 2 years, other than being moved to a farrowing crate to give birth. The only difference is that the farrowing crate has room along the outside for the piglets, but the sow is still in the confined space. During this time, a sow may have 3-5 litters of piglets. Given that sows are generally slaughtered once they are no longer suitable for breeding, this means that they live the majority of their lives in these restrictive and inhumane crates.
Gestation crates can cause health problems such as pressure sores, ulcers, and abrasions, can increase the risk of urinary tract infections, overgrown hooves, and lameness, and can negatively impact a sow’s cardiac function, bone strength, and posture.
Who decides whether gestation crates are allowed?
The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) is the governing industry body that provides Codes of Practice for every major animal agriculture industry in Canada. NFACC’s Codes of Practice provide basic outlines for a minimum level of care for farmed animals that are expected to be followed by producers and their staff. However, it is important to note that NFACC’s Codes of Practice are NOT legally binding. This means that if any producer is found violating any aspect of the Codes of Practice, there are no legal consequences.
NFACC’s Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs (2014) stated that by July 1, 2024, all Canadian pig producers must have transitioned away from using gestation crates.
The issue
In 2019, NFACC’s Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs underwent a mandatory review where a committee recommended that producers be granted an extension until 2029 to phase out gestation crates. Although the pork industry has been acting as if the recommendation has been implemented, it has never formally been adopted and written into the Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs.
What does this mean?
Animal welfare experts agree that gestation crates are detrimental to the welfare of sows (see, for instance, What A Delay On Canada’s Gestation Crate Ban Will Mean For Pig Welfare); in fact, the executive summary in the industry’s own NFACC Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs cites “scientifically supported negative welfare aspects” associated with gestation crates.
As a result, the longer the industry delays in phasing out gestation crates, the longer sows housed in gestation crates are not having their welfare needs met.
Why you should care
Gestation crates continue to be one of the cruelest products of industrialized agriculture. Sows are impregnated continuously and spend the majority of their pregnancy in restrictive gestation crates where they cannot, walk, turn around, be with their babies, or have any quality of life. The physical and psychological distress sows experience in these crates is beyond imaginable and is in no way justifiable. Millions of sows will now be subjected to unfathomable cruelty because of this unnecessary and unjustifiable extension.
What can you do?
- Learn more about Canada’s pig industry.
- Other resources:
- “What A Delay On Canada’s Gestation Crate Ban Will Mean For Pig Welfare” – The Globe and Mail
- “Broken promise means pigs will suffer in inhumane crates until 2029” – Vancouver Humane Society
- Try reducing or eliminating pork products from your diet. You have power in the purchases you make.
- Demanding that producers phase out of inhumane gestation crates immediately; write your MP and MLA and make your voice hard!
- Stay tuned to our social media for more public commentary opportunities for the Codes of Practice for Pigs.
- Help us by spreading the word about inhumane gestation crates. Together we can make big changes for Canada’s pigs.