Spot the Difference:
One of these cages was banned in the UK over 25 years ago. The other is still legal today. See if you can tell them apart.
Cruel cages for mother pigs
In 1999, the UK banned gestation cages, cages so narrow a mother pig couldn’t even turn around, for the entire length of her pregnancy.
But farrowing cages, cages that confine a mother pig from just before she gives birth until her piglets are weaned, are still completely legal. Around 200,000 sows are kept in them in the UK right now.
Below are three sets of photos. In each set, one image show a mother pig trapped in a gestation cage, the other a farrowing cage. Can you tell which is which?
Spot the difference
Which cage is banned?
Which is still legal?
Mother pigs bite at cage bars due to the stress and frustration of being unable to move freely.
Spot the difference
Which cage is banned?
Which is still legal?
This is the full range of motion a mother pig is given: up, down, nothing else.
Spot the difference
Which cage is banned?
Which is still legal?
Even while feeding her piglets, a mother pig still can’t reach them freely, leading many to show signs of extreme psychological distress.
Did you struggle to tell them apart? Exactly.
A quarter of a century ago, the UK looked at gestation cages and said: this is extreme cruelty, and banned them. We were right then.
And we’re right now: no cage is a place for a mother. Not a gestation cage. Not a farrowing cage. Not whatever cage system the industry may try to push instead. We didn’t accept it in 1999, and we won’t accept it now.
The Government is expected to consult on farrowing cages soon. When they do, we need to say loud and clear: no mother pig should be trapped in a cage.
Email your MP now to make sure they already know where their constituents stand: against cruel cages.
Take Action – Email your MP today
Your MP has the power to raise this issue directly inside Parliament and put pressure on the Ministers responsible for animal protection and food standards.
Emails from constituents carry real political weight. MPs pay attention when people in their constituency speak up. Your message will call on your MP to:
- Urge the Government to commit to ending all cages for mother pigs as the only acceptable outcome of the upcoming consultation, not a smaller or ‘temporary’ version of the same confinement
- Publicly support an end to farrowing cages in the UK, for good
- Press the Government to act on its own Animal Welfare Strategy commitment, rather than allow the transition to stall or be watered down
To send your email, use this Parliament tool to find your MP. After you search your postcode, you can find your MP’s constituency email. Then you can:
Add your address below and it will pre-fill in your email – letting your MP know you’re writing as their constituent.
Review and personalise the pre-written message if you wish – personal touches make all the difference. Please remember to keep it polite!
Hit ‘send email’ to open your ready-made draft. Don’t forget to add in your MP’s email. After you hit send, your email will go directly to their inbox.
Please check that all required fields are filled out and try again.
Protect pigs
Pigs are highly social animals who are often considered smarter than dogs. You can protect these intelligent animals by simply choosing plant-based alternatives.