Current Press Releases

Intense Confinement of Farm Animals to be Addressed by AVMA

Denver, CO- June 20, 2003 - During the annual American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) convention this weekend, the AVMA will re-examine a resolution it passed last year endorsing gestation crates: Two-foot-wide metal enclosures where female breeding pigs are confined for most of their lives. The AVMA is under increasing pressure to examine industrialized farming practices in response to growing consumer concerns. The AVMA House of Delegates will decide whether to reverse last year’s endorsement of gestation crates when it votes on Saturday, July 19.

Over 350 AVMA veterinarians signed a resolution urging that last year’s support for gestation crates be withdrawn in order to more carefully examine the issue. A letter supporting the resolution, written by Dr. Brenda Forsythe of Fresno, California, was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA). It states, "Most veterinarians decry the warehousing of small animals in puppy mill operations, so tell me how is the extreme confinement of other sentient animals any more acceptable? There is an abundance of scientific literature demonstrating the adverse effects of gestation crate confinement on porcine well-being…The veterinary community is esteemed by the rest of society as the ultimate authority on what constitutes animal welfare. We owe it to our animal charges to protect their interests, especially when they are in conflict with the interests of their producers.”

Gestation crate enclosures are barely larger than the sows’ bodies, allowing farmers to confine more pigs in a smaller area in order to increase economic efficiency. Scientific evidence has shown that animals kept in such conditions suffer from both physical and psychological maladies, including leg and joint disorders, lameness, depression, and frustration.

The 2003 resolution pertaining to gestation crates was proposed by Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization. Farm Sanctuary played a key role in the successful ballot initiative to ban gestation crates that was enacted by voters in Florida last November.

The current AVMA examination of gestation crates usage is part of a broader discussion and burgeoning concern over the welfare of farm animals in this country. In the span of only a few years, legislation addressing the humane care of farmed animals has appeared in multiple states.

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.