PETA Statement: N.J. Gestation Crate Ban

For Immediate Release:
July 27, 2023

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

New Jersey legislators have passed an important bill requiring that mother pigs be provided with 24 square feet of space—which is slightly bigger than a twin bed—instead of being confined to gestation crates, in which they cannot even turn around. Below, please find a statement in response from PETA President Ingrid Newkirk:

Although pigs raised for meat still suffer enormously, PETA cheers New Jersey legislators for taking a step to help factory-farmed animals who have literally not been able to do just that during their brief lives. That said, while a few extra feet of space are better than none, the meat industry still cuts off piglets’ tails and teeth without painkillers, confines pigs to dark and crowded sheds, and ships them to slaughter before they’ve ever touched grass or breathed fresh air. The only humane meal is a vegan one, and PETA stands ready with free vegan starter kits to help everyone leave pigs off their plates.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.