Humane World for Animals UK (formerly known as Humane Society International UK) will take its campaign to ban farrowing crates to Edinburgh today (14 April) by installing a life-sized animatronic pig named Penny to highlight the harsh reality faced by tens of thousands of mother pigs on industrial 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.
You can meet Penny at the Mercat Cross today from 10am – 2pm.
As of 2025, Scotland is home to 25,600 sows, about half of whom are kept in indoor pig farms that keep mother pigs in these cages. Under current laws, they can be kept for up to five weeks confined in 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 behaviours such as nest-building or moving freely with their piglets, damaging their physical and mental health.
Polling commissioned by Humane World for Animals UK 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 from crate-free pigs, indicating opportunities for farmers to benefit from the highest welfare standards financially.
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns at Humane World for Animals UK, said: “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 nursing pigs to future decades of misery. A cage is a cage, and public opinion 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 in Edinburgh and across Scotland are demanding change and joining our call for the next Scottish Government to support farmers to put an end to pregnancy cage cruelty.”
WHEN: TODAY 14 April 10:00 – 14:00
WHERE: Edinburgh: Mercat Cross, High Street.
