Animatronic pig to tour Scotland exposing ‘pregnancy cage cruelty’

Humane World for Animals UK will take its campaign to ban farrowing crates across Scotland from 11-14 April. The charity will bring 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 which confine sows while they give birth and nurse their piglets. The striking installation aims to show the severe restriction which mother pigs endure in these systems.

The tour will visit Aberdeenshire, Perthshire, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Campaigners will meet members of the public and raise awareness about pig welfare. The event will culminate at the Edinburgh City Chambers. Humane World for Animals experts will meet with politicians to urge stronger action to end the caging of mother pigs.

As of 2025, Scotland was home to 25,600 sows. About half of these live 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. They have little opportunity to engage in natural behaviour such as nest-building or moving freely with their piglets. This badly compromises their physical and mental health.

Farrowing crates typically measure around 200cm in length and 45-65cm 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.

Scottish public rejects pig cages

Polling by the organisation revealed that 84% of the Scottish public rejects 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. This shows that farmers could benefit financially by embracing the highest welfare standards.

The UK government has indicated an intention to phase out conventional farrowing crates. But 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 the pig, campaigners hope to spark conversations about the lives of farmed animals. And they’ll encourage parliamentary candidates to support farming systems that allow pigs the space and freedom to express natural behaviour.

Featured image via Marcus Emmerson / Humane World for Animals UK