The Pigs In Gestation Stalls Act of 2025 (PIGS Act) would amend the Animal Welfare Act to ban certain confinements of breeding pigs, notably gestation crates, and to set a minimum usable floor space for each breeding pig. Introduced by Rep. Escobar and Rep. Norton, the bill aims to address animal welfare concerns by requiring that breeding pigs be housed in a manner that allows them to lie down, stand up, and turn around, and by establishing a floor-space standard of 24 square feet per pig (usable space) starting one year after enactment. The measure includes exemptions (e.g., during transport, veterinary procedures, the five days before farrowing, and humane slaughter), a federal enforcement framework with penalties, and a new financial assistance program to help producers, especially independent farmers, comply with the requirements. It also provides that state or local animal-welfare laws can supplement but not preempt the federal standard, and defines key terms such as breeding pig, enclosure, pig, and independent pig producer.
Key Points
- 1Prohibition on confinement: It shall be unlawful to confine breeding pigs in a way that prevents lying down, standing up, or turning around.
- 2Minimum space standard: Beginning December 31, 2025, each breeding pig must have at least 24 square feet of usable floor space (calculated by dividing total enclosure space by the number of pigs in the enclosure).
- 3Exceptions: Confinement is allowed during transportation, veterinary procedures (under supervision of a licensed vet), the five days before the expected farrowing date, and slaughter under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.
- 4Enforcement and penalties: Violations are enforced under the Animal Health Protection Act’s enforcement framework, with penalties modeled after existing sections addressing animal health protection violations.
- 5Financial assistance and implementation: The Secretary must create a program to provide financial assistance to pig producers to comply, prioritizing independent producers, funded by reallocating not less than $10 million from the Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act for the first two fiscal years after enactment.