Help the pigs: make a submission this week
Home » Blog » Hazel Murray » Help the pigs: make a submission this weekRecent campaigns have revealed to New Zealanders the conditions in which pigs are kept in this country. The publicity has been good for awareness, but now's the time to make a real difference: submissions on the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) Pig Code close this Friday!
Thanks to lots of high profile coverage of the treatment of pigs globally and in New Zealand, more and more people are becoming aware of the conditions used in pig farms. Exposure on programmes such as Close Up has publicised the use of dry sow stalls and farrowing crates, which are still used to house pregnant and birthing sows.
Such stalls are banned in the UK and are soon to be phased out in several other European countries, due to their effects on the health and behaviour of the pigs. Organisations such as SAFE are urging New Zealanders to make a stand to ban the use of both types of stalls in this country.
The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) recently reviewed the Pig Code for the minimum welfare standards for pigs. This review recommends that dry stalls and farrowing crates be phased out. However, the recommendations have been criticised for not being strong enough, and many people believe they must be banned immediately.
Submissions on the NAWAC Pig Code content close this Friday 16 April.
Some facts about pig conditions
- Sows are kept in dry stalls for all or most of thier pregnancy.
- These 'cages' are only just bigger than the pig and they are not able to turn or sit; only stand.
- At the end of the pregnancy the sow is moved to a farrowing crate to give birth. Here the sow may stand and sit, but not turn to nurture her newborn piglets.
- Once the piglets are born, the sows return to the dry stall where the pregnancy cycle continues.
- According to SAFE, 29% of pig farms in New Zealand use dry stalls and 67% use farrowing crates.
Health effects on the sows:
- In the stalls the pigs are not able to engage in normal social behavior which may result in repetitive and harming behavior.
- Lack of exercise may result in obesity, leg, urinary and heart problems.
Thu April 15, 2010 @ 09:29 PM
