Labour has been warned it must deliver a full ban on "cruel" cages for mother pigs. The Government has pledged to phase out metal farrowing crates that the animals are kept in for up to five weeks when they give birth.
The cages, which are designed to reduce the risk of a sow accidentally crushing their piglets, are so small they cannot turn around.
Campaigners fear temporary crates
But animal rights campaigners fear that they could be replaced with temporary crates which would still see mother pigs confined for around 10 days. They are calling for free farrowing pens, which allow sows to move around and express natural behaviours like building a nest for their piglets.
Claire Bass, of the Humane World for Animals UK, said: "The Government has committed to ending the cage age for mother pigs, but replacing one cage with another would fall far short of that promise.
"Mother pigs are intelligent, sensitive animals with powerful instincts to build nests and care for their young.
"Confining them in crates at the very moment they are preparing to give birth denies those instincts and causes significant suffering.
"A cage is a cage, and the public rightly expects better. Ministers now have an opportunity to deliver a genuinely cage-free future by supporting a direct transition to free farrowing systems."
Charities call for compassion
David Bowles, head of public affairs and campaigns at the RSPCA, said swapping to temporary crates is "just tinkering around the edges".
He said: "Sows are perfectly capable of raising their litters without confinement when provided with an appropriate environment - and much happier doing so.
"Now is the time to lead with compassion and adopt systems that truly allow both sows and piglets to thrive, and ensure that animals get the respect they deserve."
Kirsty Jenkins, director of policy at OneKind, added: "It is difficult to convey in words the distress and frustration a caged pig feels, separated from her piglets and unable to move. People are rightly horrified when they find out this is standard practice.
"Simply shortening the period that she is caged from weeks to days is not good enough. Allowing pigs to walk, turn around, and care for their piglets is the very least we as a society should do."
Public opinion and Government response
Polling by Bryant Research found that 96% disapprove of keeping pigs in tight cages where they cannot turn around for weeks.
A Defra spokesperson said: "Ending the use of cages and crates is a key priority for this government and was included in the Animal Welfare Strategy just last year.
"We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving pig welfare and are working closely with the farming sector to deliver higher standards."
