Sow stalls are metal cages used to confine animals during their 16-week pregnancy.

According to ABC, Coles has announced that its Australian fresh pork producers will begin phasing out the use of stalls next year, with a complete ban by the end of 2014.

But the association's Malcolm Gett says the local industry will suffer because the ban doesn't apply to international suppliers.

"If they're going to demand that we have no dry sow stalls, I want the same conditions applied to all imported pork so we can compete better with them," he said.

Allister Watson from Coles says the suppliers recognise there is consumer demand for the ban and are supporting the move.

"They're saying that there's some costs and they want a transition period to work through those costs and we're working through those costs with them," he said.

"We'll absorb some of those costs ourselves but certainly we won't be passing them onto the customers and all our suppliers are positive."

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