Thousands of animal lovers are calling on the Scottish Government to ban a "cruel" pig farming practice.
Scottish animal charity OneKind says 5,000 of its supporters have written to agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie urging him to help phase out the use of farrowing crates for sows.
The crates, which mother pigs are confined in for up to five weeks, are used to prevent piglets being crushed by the sow.
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But groups including the British Veterinary Association and Farm Animal Welfare Committee have recommended they be phased out and replaced with free-farrowing systems which do not increase piglet mortality.
Bob Elliot, director of OneKind, said: “Throughout the UK, mother pigs are routinely confined to cages that are barely bigger than their own bodies for up to five weeks. Just before she is due to give birth, a sow is placed in a farrowing crate, where she will remain until her piglets are taken away from her at four weeks old.
“She is unable to turn around or walk; even standing up is difficult for her. She may get painful sores from lying on a solid surface and painful bites because selection for ‘productivity’ has led to litters that have more piglets than teats, creating competition to nurse. Her only interactions with her babies will be when they suckle through a barrier."
It comes after the Scottish Government launched a consultation on phasing out cages for egg-laying hens.
However, this did not include farrowing crates for mother pigs, which the Scottish Government had committed to doing in the 2021-2022 Programme for Government.
Mr Elliot said: “The public support for a ban on farrowing crates is clear. Not only have 5,000 people written to the Minister in a matter of months, but polling also reveals most Scots (63%) support the government assisting farmers to move from using farrowing crates to cage-free methods.
“The Scottish Government must uphold its previous commitment to consult on a phase out to farrowing crates in Scotland. The time is now to Stand Up for Pigs.”
Read more: Majority of Scots want stronger animal welfare laws, according to poll
It comes after Christine Grahame MSP lodged a motion in March this year calling for the phasing out of farrowing crates.
The motion, which was supported by 27 MSPs, said the crates prevent sows from natural behaviours like building a nest for their piglets.
It argued that "most people in Scotland" want to see the use of farrowing crates ended and called for policies which would support and incentivise farmers in transition to free-farrowing systems.
Ms Grahame told The Herald: “The use of farrowing crates for pigs is cruel. I had the chance to view one when OneKind held an exhibition in parliament earlier this year and it made that fact plainly obvious.
“When standing inside a life-sized model of such a crate and seeing for myself how painfully restrictive they are, it reinforced my commitment to seeing this practice banned.
“A pregnant sow can be trapped in one of these crates for 5 weeks or more, unable to turn around and with barely enough room to stand up. It also prevents her from engaging with and nursing her piglets naturally, forcing them to suckle through metal bars.
“There is no place for this practice in modern Scotland and I fully support a ban.”
The Scottish Government said it is committed to ensuring high standards of welfare for all animals in Scotland.
A spokesperson said: “We recently published our Guidance for the Welfare for Pigs which is intended to help all those that care and are responsible for farmed pigs to ensure that their needs are met as required by good practise.
"We have also update the welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2010 to include this updated pigs’ welfare guidance. Those responsible for farmed pigs must be acquainted with, and have access to this guidance.
“We will continue to listen and work with both the industry and other stakeholders to achieve improvements in animal welfare.”
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