The United States is one of the top pork producers in the world. Approximately 74.3 million pigs are slaughtered each year in the U.S. and 27 billion pounds of pork is produced annually, with projections expected to increase every year.

In the U.S., an estimated 6 million sows, or mother pigs, are bred each year to produce litters of market pigs, resulting in hundreds of millions of pounds of pork meat. Sadly, ~60% of U.S. breeding sows spend part of their lives confined in a gestation crate roughly the same size as their body during breeding and gestation. These crates prohibit her ability to turn around, fully stretch her legs, or walk.

Thankfully, companies and the American public are increasingly prioritizing more humane treatment for sows. The U.S. pork industry is at a critical juncture for sow welfare. With groundbreaking legislation, such as California's Proposition 12 and Massachusetts’s Question 3 prohibiting the sale of products from systems that confine sows in gestation crates – along with similar production bans in nine other states – corporate commitments toward banning the use of inhumane confinement have never been more imperative. Pork producers are transitioning away from confinement systems to either group-housed or gestation crate-free housing, with 40% of U.S. breeding sows already housed in groups. Food businesses are actively implementing sow welfare policies, aligning their procurement practices with their company values.

CIWF is excited to launch PigTrack, our first compliance tracking tool to measure company progress towards a higher welfare crate-free supply. In this report, CIWF aims to:

Educate companies on the different U.S. production systems for sows, state legislation requirements, and current market trends.
Provide an overview of how sow welfare compares under different U.S. certifications.
Promote U.S. companies committed to 100% gestation crate-free and fully crate-free sow welfare policies, and those reporting progress.
Encourage transparency and compliance as the U.S. market continues to shift toward crate-free housing systems for sows.

Housing Overview - Gestation Crates

Gestation crates are one of the most extreme examples of physical confinement for farm animals today. Gestation crates are typically 7 ft x 2 ft narrow pens made of metal bars providing only 14 ft2 of space for a sow. Each crate is only slightly larger than the body of a sow. Inside the gestation crate, a sow is unable to turn around, walk, or fully extend her legs.