the issues 
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Australians have had a love affair with ham, pork and bacon for generations, with the great Aussie breakfast of bacon and eggs a part of our national diet. Yet the farming of pigs has changed rapidly over the past generation. Family farms have been run out of business, unable to compete with larger factory-style operations.[1] The implications for the welfare of pigs have been appalling, yet largely invisible to the Australian consumer. cruel treatment on factory farms pregnancy hell for mother pigs The sad reality for the vast majority of mother pigs now is that they no longer forage in the earth in the open air a la Old Macdonald’s farm, but are confined for most of their lives to concrete-floored, metal barred stalls so cramped that they cannot turn around, and can only take one step forward or backwards. To give birth they are confined even more restrictively, in a concreted area called a farrowing crate so small they can hardly move.[2] Mother pigs are repeatedly impregnated throughout their lives and must feed, lie and give birth in these conditions, until the size of the litter they are able to produce declines and they are usually killed at about 2 years of age.[3] They are akin to battery hens. Extended confinement in sow stalls has been associated with other serious health problems, including reduced bone strength and muscle weight[4], impaired locomotion and high lameness[5]. Confinement in sow crates can also cause stereotypies; repetitive purposeless behaviour which is a sign of suffering.[6] Young Piglets in factory farms are prevented from snuggling up to their mothers in the normal way due to the presence of steel bars in farrowing crates. The babies are also taken away or ‘weaned’ prematurely and the stress of abrupt weaning results in piglets having a high incidence of clinical disease and diarrhoea.[7] Male piglets are routinely castrated without anaesthetic, a practice so painful that it can provoke vomiting, trembling and leg shaking.[8] Piglets’ teeth are clipped which may cause up to 15 days of extreme pain.[9] No pain relief is required by law. Porkers Pigs born on factory farms and used to produce meat generally spend their whole life indoors. They are housed in crowded, concrete-floored sheds with thousands of others and with no natural materials . They are moved from pen to pen as they grow bigger, before eventually being loaded onto trucks for transportation to the slaughterhouse. For many of them, this trip is the only chance they have in their whole lives to experience life outdoors and to feel the wind and the sun. Scientific research proves that some factory-farmed pigs suffer prolonged depression because they are denied natural light, space and the opportunity to forage for food in natural surroundings.[10] why the law is not on their side The current Code which regulates the treatment of pigs in Australia, Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals - Pigs (revised) (2007) (the Pig Code)[11] entrenches the cruelties described above. Some of the cruel practices it permits are:
From about 2017:
The international experience Sow stalls are already banned in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Finland. The entire European Union will follow from 2013 (except for the first four weeks of pregnancy)[15] and New Zealand by the end of 2015[16]. Sow stalls are also banned in Florida and are being phased out in Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan and Oregon in the United States[17]. Two of the largest pork producers in the US and Canada have also announced their plans to phase out sow stalls. As other countries take steps to ban sow stalls, Australia is lagging shamefully behind. recent news The announcement of reforms at the state level, and by the retail sector and industry, indicate that the national Pig Code is inadequate in protecting animal welfare. In 2010, the Tasmanian Government announced that it would restrict the time that pregnant sows can be housed in sow stalls from 2014, and implement a total ban by 2017. The government acted on the advice of its Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, which had conducted a detailed consideration of the relevant science pertaining to welfare and productivity of intensively reared sows.[18] Retailers in Australia are also making significant moves towards supporting free-range pig products. In 2010, major food retailer Coles announced that from 2014 it will not source pork (including imported pork products) from any supplier which uses sow stalls. Apparently in response to these events, Australian Pork Limited (APL), the peak industry body, announced that it would “commit to pursuing the voluntary phasing out of the use of gestation stalls by 2017”. But this commitment should be viewed with scepticism for three reasons; it is in no way binding; APL makes the contradictory claim that “Australian pork producers recognise the welfare benefits of gestation stalls…”[19]; and there is an inherent conflict of interest in such self-regulation. Since a voluntary industry-wide ban is unlikely, the desperately needed ban on sow stalls in Australia must come from the federal government. pigs have feelings too All of the above occurs despite the scientific consensus that pigs are highly intelligent and social beings. Few species are more social than pigs: they form close bonds, cooperate with and defend one another. More than 20 pig vocalisations have been identified. They have an elaborate courting ritual including a song between males and females. Newborn piglets learn to run to their mother’s voice and the mother pig sings to her young while nursing. After nursing, a piglet sometimes runs to her mother’s face to rub snouts and grunt.[20] When she is ready to give birth, a pregnant pig can walk 5-10km to search for a good nest site and gather bedding materials.[21] Pigs are recognized to be at least as good at problem-solving as dogs. Scientists have discovered that pigs ‘have an understanding of what is going on in other pigs’ minds and make their own decisions according to what they want.’ This type of thinking has often been assumed to be unique to apes and humans.[22] together, we can make a difference Write a letter to your local paper, go on talk-back radio or contact your local council. Share your concerns about the treatment of pigs and help others become more informed about the issue.
Find out more about what you can do as a: voiceless links: In late 2006, Voiceless joined with Animals Australia, the Berg Family Foundation and Hunter Hall International Limited to form the ‘Prisons to Paddocks’ alliance, which launched an unprecedented national advertising campaign to highlight the plight of factory farmed pigs in Australia. Voiceless published a report on the NSW pig industry, titled “From Paddocks to Prisons: Pigs in NSW Current Practices, Future Directions”. You can also read Voiceless’s submission on the Revised Code. recommended reading and resources We encourage you to find out more about pigs – both how they may be treated and what they are capable of. See, for example, the following resources:
Last Updated on 6 September 2011
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