Urge your MP to support cage-free pig farming
Almost all indoor mother pigs (sows) are still locked into metal cages so small that a sow cannot turn around and can even struggle to stand up or lie down. She remains in this crate for up to 35 days while birthing and nursing her piglets.
The Government has said it will consult on phasing out farrowing cages for pigs. Together, we must make sure true cage-free alternatives are included. Please urge your MP to use our interactive pig farrowing guide and take action to help End the Cage Age for UK sows.
Dear MP,
I am writing as your constituent to urge you to take Compassion in World Farming’s short interactive guide to pig farrowing and take action in parliament to End the Cage Age for UK mother pigs (sows).
I do hope that you will support improving the welfare of pigs in the UK. As a nation of animal lovers. Public opinion is clearly in favour of cage-free pig farming. Farrowing crates – used to confine sows around the time they give birth – are among the most restrictive systems in UK agriculture. Around 50% of UK sows are confined in crates, which have significant negative animal welfare implications. Even so‑called temporary crating systems can impose these constraints during key periods, limiting movement and natural behaviours when it matters most for both sow and piglet wellbeing.
To help illustrate this, Compassion in World Farming has created a short interactive tool that shows the size of a typical farrowing crate and allows you to see for yourself how confined these systems are.
I hope you will take a moment to explore this. It provides a clear, practical way of understanding the issue.
Alongside this, there is a short set of resources available to support parliamentary engagement, including:
- a selection of draft Parliamentary Questions that I hope you will consider tabling a selection of
- a template letter that I encourage you to send to the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs
- a short briefing on transitioning to free farrowing systems
These materials set out practical and constructive ways you could help drive progress on this issue, including raising questions in Parliament, engaging directly with Ministers, and drawing on the latest evidence about how a transition to free farrowing systems could be delivered in a way that supports both animal welfare and the farming sector. I hope you will engage with the interactive tool, consider using the resources available, and encourage Defra to consult on a move towards cage-free farrowing as the future standard for UK pig farming. I’m pleased to see that the Government has said it will consult on phasing out cages for sows, please support making sure true cage-free alternatives are included.
This is an important opportunity to ensure that future policy reflects both public expectations and the best available evidence on animal welfare.
Thank you for your time, and I would very much appreciate hearing if you have used the guide and taken any of the actions.
Yours sincerely,
