The Brits are bragging that their urging on of other European Union countries to comply with a Jan. 1, 2013 ban on sow crates is apparently having some effect.
Earlier in the year, just three member states were in compliance and 12 others were unable to confirm that they could comply by January of next year. Now nine countries expect to have at least 93 per cent compliance by the end of the year. The ban has loomed for nearly a decade.
The United Kingdom outlawed gestation stalls in 1999 and the industry was reduced by 40 per cent, with many producers unable to compete with cheaper imports.