Confining pigs in cages is cruel

Thank you for the interesting article and online discussion about gestation crates for pigs (“Individual pens for sows' safety,” Sept. 30 by Janeen Salak-Johnson).

Confining pigs in cages barely larger than their own bodies, restricting their ability to even turn around, is inherently cruel. It's considered so cruel that more than 30 major food companies, including McDonald's, Burger King and Costco, are phasing them out. Nine states have banned gestation crates, as well as the European Union.

Science is responding, too. Renowned animal welfare expert Temple Grandin said that gestation crates do not provide a “decent life” for pigs.

Pigs are intelligent, sociable creatures, much like our pets. If we were to lock our pets in tiny cages for months on end, we'd be criminals. How is it OK to do this to pigs? It's not. And it's high time the pork industry accepts this.

John Braumann

Marion