Princess Buttercup is a six month old Kunekune pig who has a pretty sweet life.
She trundled along to Parliament today to represent her porcine cousins who are far less fortunate than her.
More than 100,000 people signed a petition demanding a ban on the use of farrowing crates - it was delivered to Parliament today.
According to the animal advocacy group, SAFE, there are about 15,000 sows in farrowing crates at any one time.
Group spokeswoman Mandy Carter said pigs confined to crates to give birth and nurse their babies, were unable to turn around for weeks on end.
"So in a farrowing crate they are placed into them about five days before they give birth and for up to four to five weeks afterwards.
"It is a life of despair and a life of distress, they can't even turn around, and when you say that out loud it just seems the most ridiculous thing to put animals in the position where they can't even turn around."
Ms Carter said pigs were highly intelligent, much smarter than dogs and people would never treat dogs that way.
"It actually breaks our Animal Welfare Act which says that animals should be able to express their natural behaviour.
A petition demanding a ban on the use of farrowing crates was delivered to Parliament today. Photo: RNZ / Chris Bramwell
"We'd all agree it's quite natural behaviour to be able to turn around and to have bedding and to have the things that they need, and they are not given this on factory farms, which is why we think it is urgent that these practices are banned."
The 110,000 strong petition was handed to Green Party MP Gareth Hughes.
He was hopeful Parliament could work towards a ban on the crates.
"The petition's size means that the select committee must give it proper due process ... look, I think it's a pretty compelling case."
However, the Pork Industry Board said the crates had been approved by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, and were actually better for the piglets and the sows.
Chairman Ian Carter said the pigs could stay warm and dry in the crates, and the sows would not squash the piglets, which could happen in a bigger space.
"We've created an environment very similar to a maternity hospital with those aspects, we recognise that...a level of restriction of movement gives the greatest opportunity for [the sows] progeny to survive and that's proven by the results."
Mr Carter said the industry would like to think the government would base its decisions on science and what was good for the animals, not on the emotion of a lobby group.
He said about a third of New Zealand producers did not use farrowing crates, but they accepted they would produce fewer piglets.
