Pigs will be kept in larger crates but their suffering will persist

Re "Pork prices could soar on animal protection law: Court ruling leads to more humane but costly pens" (Page A1, May 28): Larry Katz, the owner of a butcher and wholesaler, complains that increased pork prices will make "life miserable for everybody." I don't think he's including female pigs, whose lives have been utterly miserable being kept in extreme confinement in so-called gestational crates. These enclosures are generally 7 feet by 2 feet — barely larger than the pig's body.

We commodify sentient beings that experience fear and pain. In addition to gestational crates, female pigs are subjected to other cruel practices, such as keeping them continuously pregnant, making them among the most abused animals on the planet. Larger crates may make a small dent in their suffering, but their suffering will continue for the most part unabated.

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Ellen Taylor

Newton