By David Klassen
In a move to ask the provincial government to release all sows from their stalls today, Penelope the pig will be set free on the steps of the Manitoba Legislature.
The Winnipeg Humane Society will be setting the pig free in celebration of World Farm Animals Day at noon.
The WHS says Penelope has become a local celebrity and educational icon for the animal shelter, having taught thousands of Manitobans about the harsh realities of industrial-style farming as part of the society’s Quit Stalling Campaign to end the use of sow stalls.
Four pink “piggies” will set Penelope free from her cage, in what will most definitely be an interesting photo op.
The Humane Society says sow stalls should be phased out in Manitoba, as they are already banned in the United Kingdom, and will be banned in the EU by 2013.
The society suggests the government offer incentives to breeders who voluntarily choose to replace cages with free-run systems.
