Humane World for Animals UK (formerly known as Humane Society International UK) will take its campaign against farrowing crates across Scotland from 11-14 April, bringing a life-size animatronic pig named Penny to towns and cities to highlight the harsh reality faced by tens of thousands of mother pigs on farms.
Penny will appear inside a metal crate like those used to confine sows while they give birth and nurse their piglets. The striking installation is designed to show the severe restriction endured by mother pigs kept in these systems.
The tour will visit Aberdeenshire, Perthshire, Glasgow and Edinburgh, where campaigners will meet members of the public and raise awareness about pig welfare. The event will culminate at the Edinburgh City Chambers, where Humane World for Animals experts will meet with politicians to urge stronger action to end the caging of mother pigs.
As of 2025, Scotland is home to 25,600 sows, about half of whom are kept in indoor pig farms that routinely keep sows in farrowing crates. Under current laws, they can be confined for up to five weeks in the narrow metal cages every time they give birth, typically two or three times a year. The cages are so restrictive that the animals are unable to turn around and have little opportunity to engage in natural behaviour such as nest-building or moving freely with their piglets, badly compromisingtheir physical and mental health.
Farrowing crates typically measure around 200cm in length and between 45 and 65cm in width. Pigs have been selectively bred to be larger than ever, meaning that the relative space available to a sow is even more restricted than when crates were first introduced.
Polling by the organisation revealed that 84% of the Scottish public reject the use of farrowing crates for mother pigs. Over half of respondents (54%) stated they would be willing to pay more for meat produced from pigs kept in crate-free systems, indicating opportunities for farmers to benefit from the highest welfare standards financially.
While the UK government has indicated an intention to phase out conventional farrowing crates, Humane World for Animals warns that some parts of the industry are shifting towards so-called “flexible” farrowing crates. The organisation says these systems still rely on confining mother pigs in cages and are the same kind of prison under another name.
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane World for Animals UK, says:
“Many people are shocked that such extreme, prolonged confinement is still legal in Scotland. Farmers must end cruel caging, not replace old cages with new ones that would condemn millions more pregnant and lactating pigs to future decades of misery. A cage is a cage, and the public is clear: mother pigs don’t belong behind bars.
With the Scottish election fast approaching, our tour is turning public compassion into political pressure. Voters across Scotland are demanding change and joining our call for the next Scottish Government to support farmers as part of the effort to put an end to pregnancy cage cruelty.”
By touring Scotland with Penny, campaigners hope to spark conversations about the lives of farmed animals and encourage Parliamentary candidates to support farming systems that allow pigs the space and freedom to express natural behaviour.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Tour schedule:
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11/04: Glasgow: 212 Sauchiehall Street. 10.00-14.00
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12/04: Aberdeen: St Nicolas Street. 10.00-14.00
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13/04: Perth: High Street. 11.00-15.00
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14/04: Edinburgh: Mercat Cross, High Street. 10.00-14.00
Humane World for Animals UK is asking the Scottish Government to phase out the use of farrowing crates in Scottish pig farming. The organisation is requesting a public consultation (as was committed to in the 2021-22 Programme for Government), and, after that, a phase-out period to end the use of both ‘conventional’ and ‘temporary’ farrowing crates, along with providing financial support for farmers to transition to free farrowing systems.
Over 200,000 mother pigs on UK farms are forced to spend nearly a quarter of their adult lives confined in farrowing crates. Caged for weeks at a time when they give birth to piglets, sows are so severely restricted that they can’t even turn around, which causes them to suffer both mentally and physically.
Humane World for Animals works globally to persuade corporations, financial institutions, food service companies, governments and farmers to eliminate the worst practices of industrial animal agriculture that subject the greatest number of animals to the longest duration of suffering, including intensive confinement. While our work is global, we have farmed animal welfare teams in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the European Union, India, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Viet Nam. We also promote a shift toward a more plant-forward, climate-friendly global food system by providing culinary resources and training to institutions serving millions of meals daily and advocating for policy change at national and international levels.