Throughout Scotland, pigs are suffering in crates so small that they can’t even turn around.

We are campaigning the Scottish Government to Stand Up for Pigs and ban farrowing crates. 

While the Scottish Government has recently consulted on phasing out cages for laying hens, the consultation did not include farrowing crates for mother pigs. This is despite their 2021-2022 Programme for Government commitment to do so. 

Help us to hold the Government accountable.

Send an email to the Minister

Join 7,000 others in sending a pre-written email to the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Jim Fairlie, urging the Government to consult on a phase out to farrowing crates. 

What is the problem with farrowing crates? 

A pregnant pig will be placed in a farrowing crate a week before her due date, and she will remain there with her piglets until they are weaned at around 4 weeks.  

A pregnant sow will suffer tremendously in these confining crates.  

She is unable to turn around or move beyond lying down and standing up, sometimes with difficulty, as the crate is barely bigger than her own body. She cannot build a nest for her piglets, which she is strongly motivated to do, nor interact with or care for her piglets (beyond allowing them to suckle through bars). 

Widespread support for a ban 

Most Scots support an end to the use of farrowing crates and 63% support the government assisting farmers to move from using farrowing crates to cage-free methods. 

Christine Graham MSP’s motion on phasing our farrowing crates also received cross-party support, with 27 MSPs supporting the motion. 

Campaign highlights 

Stand Up for Pigs at Parliament 

In January, we commenced a three-day long exhibition at the Scottish Parliament. Our replica of a farrowing crate allowed MSPs to experience just how confining these cages are. 

We spoke with 29 MSPs from across all five main political parties, former Minister for Energy and Environment Gillian Martin and many MSP staff members. Our conversations were very production, with many MSPs very supportive of our campaign, given the negative physical and mental impacts that these cages have on both the mother pig and her babies. 

6,000+ OneKind supporters write to the Government 

More than 6,000 of OneKind’s supporters have written to the agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie, urging the Government to phase out the use of farrowing crates. 

Standing Up for Pigs in Edinburgh 

 

In July, alongside our volunteers, we gathered on one of the city centre’s busiest streets with a life-sized replica of a farrowing crate, a large-scale information board, pig masks, and placards to highlight the many welfare issues caused by farrowing crates. 

We raised awareness of the cruelty of farrowing crates, gathered public support and even secured coverage of the demonstration by The Herald and Third Force News.

End the Cage Age

Since 2018, we have actively supported Compassion in World Farming’s End the Cage Age campaign and the European Citizens’ Initiative to ban cages.