Minister orders review of welfare code for pigs

The welfare code for pigs will be reviewed. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Agriculture Minister David Carter has called for an urgent review of the welfare code for pigs after an animal welfare group secretly filmed alleged ill-treatment at a Levin pig farm.

Colin Kay's Kuku Beach Rd piggery at Ohau was the subject of TVNZ's Sunday programme in which animal welfare activists took comedian Mike King to the plant to highlight the pigs' treatment.

The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee discussed the future of sow crates yesterday at a routine quarterly meeting, but chairman Peter O'Hara was not available to comment afterwards.

Mr Carter has asked the advisory board to make reviewing the 2005 code for pigs its "highest priority".

In a letter sent to Mr O'Hara, Mr Carter said he wanted to issue a new welfare code for pigs by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the SPCA is calling on pig farmers to come up with a labelling standard to identify meat from pigs kept in sow crates.

SPCA chief executive Robyn Kippenberger said yesterday that unless sow crates were quickly outlawed the industry should adopt a labelling system so that shoppers could tell the difference between pigs raised in crates and other pigs.

"In most abattoirs, there is no attempt to differentiate between meat that originates in appalling circumstances, such as were shown on Sunday, and pork or bacon produced more humanely," Ms Kippenberger said.

Until truth in labelling occurred, the only certain way to avoid purchasing pork or bacon produced in grossly inhumane conditions was to opt for meat labelled "free farmed" or "free range" or with the SPCA-approved tick, she said.

On Monday, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry animal welfare inspectors, an independent vet and pig expert, visited the pig farm at the centre of the controversy and spent about 2 hours there.

Owner Mr Kay, a former New Zealand Pork Industry Board chairman, said after the inspection that investigators did not find anything wrong with the farm.

MAF investigations manager Greg Reid told Newstalk ZB yesterday Mr Kay's pig farm was not breaking any laws and that the ministry could only take action if specific animals were suffering unnecessarily or if the pigs had untreated diseases.

But MAF said that statement was incorrect and the ministry had not reached a decision about the farm. MAF director of enforcement Jockey Jensen told the Herald he had not yet seen the investigator's report or the veterinarian's report.

The farm was investigated three years ago, and cleared of any wrong-doing.

Pork Industry Board chief executive Sam McIvor said journalists had been turning up uninvited at pig farms since the allegations of ill-treatment broke.

The pork industry took journalists to visit two Canterbury pig farms yesterday in an effort to stem negative publicity.

But Mr McIvor said most pig farmers were feeling "gun-shy" about visits after all the publicity.

"If I'm honest and realistic I'd say they'll be pretty reluctant [to have journalists on their farms]."

- NZPA