York Central MP Rachael Maskell has joined animal welfare campaigners calling for a ban on farrowing crates, which confine mother pigs in restrictive conditions.
She met the group Humane World for Animals on Parliament Street yesterday (21 August) as part of its “Crate Britain” tour. Around 200,000 pigs in the UK are kept in farrowing crates, where they cannot turn around and have little contact with their young.
Campaigners say the practice is cruel and outdated, and has no place in modern farming today.
Many animal lovers contacted Rachael Maskell to let her know that the tour was coming to York, and in a bid to learn more about the campaign, she attended.
The York Central MP was pleased to meet constituents at the stall and talk to them about their concerns for sows, as well as wider welfare issues.
Ms Maskell, who has long campaigned on animal welfare issues, said:
“The Crate Britain Tour, with Penny the pig, brought to life the impact that farrowing crates have on sows as they are confined to tight spaces in which to rear their young. This mode of farming is outdated and so I urge York residents to engage with Humane World for Animals in their quest to outlaw such poor practices.
“I very much hope that the Labour Government will introduce a strong set of animal welfare measures in the next session of this Parliament, as the work has been well researched and ready to go on the statute books. As a nation of animal lovers, it is important that we lead the way in modern farming techniques combined with animal welfare, and advance the protections for all animals.”
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns at Humane World for Animals UK, added:
“Pigs in farrowing crates, including on farms here in Yorkshire, endure the most restrictive confinement of any farmed animals in the UK, and they suffer physically and mentally as a result. We were really delighted with the positive reaction that people in York had to Penny and our campaign, so many people were truly shocked that these cruel crates are legal on British farms.
“We are very grateful to Rachael for using her voice in Parliament to speak out for pigs and so many other animals. There is clearly strong public support for the Government to help farmers get rid of crates, so we urge Ministers to act swiftly to get mother pigs out from behind bars.”
