NZ Pork to receive an award for farrowing crate cruelty

2 August 2018 | MEDIA RELEASE

NZ Pork to receive an award for farrowing crate cruelty

SAFE supporters will present the NZ Pork Board with an award recognising the inherent cruelty in their continued use of farrowing crates, at their annual award dinner at The Orange in Eden Terrace at 6.30pm today. They will be presented with a unique piece of New Zealand artwork depicting a pig in a farrowing crate, along with a certificate recognising NZ Pork’s contribution to cruelty in New Zealand farming.

Despite strong public opposition, the pork industry continues to use the controversial farrowing crates in which mother pigs (sows) are severely confined for up to five weeks, two to three times a year. The conditions suffered by these sows were exposed in recent footage from a Timaru farm. An estimated 16,000 mother pigs are confined in farrowing crates each year in New Zealand.

“While pork industry representatives are dining and slapping each other on the back at their awards ceremony, mother pigs are incarcerated in cages so small they can’t turn around and can only lie down with difficulty. SAFE’s award recognises NZ Pork for their outstanding performance in cruel exploitation of mother pigs for profit,” says SAFE head of campaigns Marianne Macdonald.

SAFE says the pork industry has a history of resistance to animal welfare improvements. NZ Pork fought hard to stop sow stalls being outlawed and are doing the same with farrowing crates. “With huge public support, we got a ban on sow stalls back in 2015. Farrowing crates are just a slightly different cage causing the same cruelty,” adds Macdonald.

According to the Ministry for Primary Industries, around 40 per cent of NZ farmers do not use any crates when their sows are farrowing. Numerous scientific studies show that effective alternatives to farrowing crates exist and a Parliamentary select committee is currently considering their future. The Labour Party and the Green Party committed to banning them prior to the election.

“There are already effective alternatives to farrowing crates that are in use both here and overseas. Enough of the excuses! It’s time for the remainder of NZ pig farmers to move with the times and stop caging mother pigs.”

SAFE is urging caring Kiwi’s to let their MP know about their concerns around farrowing crates and to visit SAFE’s website for more actions to help achieve a ban.

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