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| Unhappy as a pig out of mud: The prognosis under Australia's proposed new pig code of practice |
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| 10 July 2006 | |
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Generations of female pigs are likely to be crammed in stalls so small they cannot even turn around, under the latest in a series of Model Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Animals which was recently released for public comment. A leading animal protection group, Voiceless, the fund for animals, today urged the public to mobilise and speak out against the revised Pig Code, which was released by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Peter McGauran, last month and which will entrench the suffering of these highly intelligent and emotionally complex animals. "Currently factory farmed animals live under appalling physical conditions and many are deprived of basic needs such as natural light, exercise and social interaction", Brian Sherman AM, co-founder of Voiceless said today. If the new draft Code is accepted in its current form, an important opportunity to improve the lives of these animals will be lost. Pregnant and nursing pigs will continue to spend weeks and months in confined stalls and steel farrowing crates where they live on concrete floors, with little or no bedding material and barely enough room to move or lie down. “Its no wonder that many of them become chronically depressed.” Mr Sherman said today “If dogs were kept in such conditions, the public would be outraged and demand legal action." Sow stalls and farrowing crates have been banned in the UK since 1999 and will be banned throughout the European Union from January 2013. The proposed new Pig Code will allow these practices to continue in Australia for at least the next decade and possibly longer if pig industry lobby groups get their way. Mr Sherman also said “Its not just mother pigs whose suffering will be permitted to continue under the new Code. Millions of piglets will also be subjected to painful mutilations including tail docking, teeth clipping and castration without pain relief. We must act now to stop these barbaric practices. Australia is poised at a significant moment in the history of animal protection. Public opinion is rapidly changing. Politicians and industry stakeholders need to be made aware that the public will not tolerate the legalised suffering of factory farmed animals." According to Voiceless, the quality of public consultation carried out in connection with the revised Pig Code is a major concern, as the majority of Government funding directed towards the pork industry seeks to promote the international competitiveness of Australia’s pig meat instead of educating consumers through advertising campaigns about the origins of their ham, pork and bacon. Of further concern is the consultation process calling for feedback on the proposed new Code. "The process has been structured in a way which limits the opportunity for meaningful input and objection to the contents of the Code” Voiceless corporate counsel, Katrina Sharman said today. “Some of the information in the regulatory impact statement which is intended to inform public debate about the Code is simply erroneous.’ For example, the regulatory impact statement states that Denmark, which is a major competitor in Australia’s pigmeat market, has no plans to phase out sow stalls. However as a member of the EU they are obligated to phase out such stalls in line with an EU-wide ban that comes into force on January 1, 2013. FACT:
The pork industry is seeking the continuation of such practices for the next fifteen years. What the public can do:
Further information about how to make a submission can be found at www.voiceless.org.au
Media Contact: Sheridan Thomas or Katy Wood, 0408 603 605, (02) 9357 0743
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