PIG POWER
Do you remember the nursery rhyme, ‘this little piggy went to market…?’ Well, when many of our little piggies,
i.e. the ones bred for meat across Europe, are reared and, er, go to market, they face a wide range of welfare
issues. So, with that in mind, we thought we’d like to make you aware of some of the conditions they face; just in
case you’re a bacon butty, sausage roll lovin’ kind a guy or gal who wasn’t fully aware of the facts.
We’ve got the Power!
When tucking into that rasher and sausage breakfast, smothered with brown sauce and bulging out of the confines
of your fresh, crispy bread roll; do you ever stop to consider the conditions under which the pigs are reared?
Probably not.
Did you know there are approximately 160,000 breeding sows in the Republic of Ireland? About 1.5m young pigs
are reared for their meat.
As consumers, we can make a difference; in short, we have the power. So, if you like eating pork, why not make
sure the contents of your shopping trolley supports Pig Power!
Why should I care? I hear you ask!
Well, somebody has to, besides pigs are very clean and intelligent animals. They will only soil in an area away
from their living space and the reason they wallow away in muck in hot weather is simply to protect their skin
from the heat of the sun. This is how they keep cool and don’t sweat like humans.
However, pig farming practices across Europe means the majority of them have to endure unacceptable living
conditions and this can cause enormous suffering. I mean, imagine if you had to endure the following:
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Live on bare slatted flooring with no comfortable place to lay your head and go to sleep.
Endure castration without the aid of an anaesthetic – this happens to male pigs.
Tail biting by other pigs – this happens due to poor conditions because the animals are under enormous
stress.
Live a life of utter boredom – imagine if you’re an intelligent individual whose had their reading material,
TV, CD, iPod, etc., confiscated – wouldn’t you be bored silly?
Imagine being forced to give up your luxurious bedroom and having to share with your ten brothers and
sisters for months on end…that’s what it’s like for pigs. They live in confined spaces in sow stalls or
farrowing crates.
So, have you changed your mind? Still thinking about it? Ok, here’s some more facts for you to consider.
Let’s talk about the following key welfare issues facing pigs.
Tail Docking
This is carried out on piglets (*even though EU law prohibits it) to try and reduce the risk of biting by other pigs
when they get older. Approximately 95 per cent of pigs in Ireland are tail docked. We think this biting habit is
possibly a symptom of physical or mental stress. If a pig was provided with effective, environmental enrichment
material, i.e. straw, more space per animal and more space to feed, they may not bite each others’ tails.
*EU Pig Directive states that before carrying out tail-docking, ‘other measures shall be taken to prevent tail
biting and other vices taking into account environment and stocking densities.’
Castration of male piglets without anaesthetic.
This is a legal procedure in the EU provided it’s done before they are seven days old. Approximately 100 million
male piglets in the EU are castrated each year. This is carried out mainly to reduce the risk of ‘boar taint’ in the
meat.
Teeth clipping/grinding.
Now, I don’t know about you but I absolutely dread going near a dentist; despite the fact mine is a wonderfully,
careful man who always has plenty of anaesthetic ready for me. So, imagine if you’re a pig and somebody
removes the sharp ends of your needle teeth, just so you can’t cause damage to the sows’ teats during suckling
and to other piglets. How would you feel? This procedure causes pain and discomfort.
Sows kept in stalls.
Ok, these are banned in the UK but are still permitted in the rest of the EU until 2013 – 3 more years for those of
you who aren’t great at maths! There’s still a few sow stall systems operating in the ROI too and we would
recommend they’re phased out quickly and replaced with humane systems.
Sow stalls cause huge welfare problems because the sow is unable to turn around or even take more than a couple
of steps backwards or forwards. Most sows have no access to bedding throughout the majority of their four
month pregnancy. Now come on ladies, imagine if you were pregnant and kept in these humiliating, inhumane
and degrading conditions, how would you like it? Not a lot I bet.
Farrowing Crates.
These cause a large amount of stress to sows due to confinement. Ok, they offer piglets a bit of protection from
crushing but the sow can’t build a nest due to lack of space and lack of bedding and this just frustrates her. Sort
of like us humans suffering from post natal depression when we can’t, through no fault of our own, mother our
new babies in the way nature intended.
Nose Rings
Sometimes outdoor sows are fitted with nose rings to try and prevent them rooting in the ground.
Excessive rooting can lead to an increase in deaths of piglets because draughts in their arcs can appear
and this can cause chilling of the piglets. However, insertion can cause pain and stress, especially as
nose rings work by causing discomfort as the sow tries to root with her snout. According to research, if
a pig is fed bulky feeds she will reduce her rooting whilst the use of an area of the paddock where root
crops are kept can direct sows’ to root in that particular area, thus reducing the activity within the
farrowing area.
We’ve already told you there are approximately 160,000 breeding sows in the ROI but do you know
these produce litters of piglets that are then fattened and slaughtered for their meat. Breeding sows have
around 6 or 7 pregnancies, each one lasts 4 months, and, when their productive cycle is over, they’re
slaughtered.
So, let’s discuss intensive pig farming in the ROI!
Some sows are kept throughout their pregnancies in narrow stalls where they’re unable to turn around or
exercise. The floor they are forced to stand on is usually concrete with slats for waste removal. They
also must lie down in the same area they use to go to the toilet. This is for their entire pregnancy!!!
This brings us onto Group Housing.
This is where a number of sows live together in a pen. They’re kept indoors at all times with no access
to the outside world. However, in decent group housing pens, the sows are provided with straw or other
natural materials for rooting and sleeping on. If these group housings are properly designed and run,
they can actually provide a good standard of welfare for sows.
What about keeping pigs outdoors?
That’s a great idea, and it’s the natural way to keep pigs. Pigs that are kept outdoors in conditions that
comply with certain standards of welfare are known as ‘free range pigs.’ If an outdoor pig is fed on a
natural diet, and specific organics are maintained, they’re called ‘organic pigs.’ If pigs are kept in
outdoor facilities, sows are usually kept together with huts provided for shelter. When sows are ready to
farrow, they’re often moved to new ground where they’ll have a hut to themselves and their babies. In
the ROI there is a small number of free range and organic pig farms in operation.
What happens to the piglets when they’re taken from their mothers?
At approximately 4 weeks old, the piglets are taken from their mothers, they’re fattened for their meat;
often being kept in crowded conditions on concrete and slatted floors with very poor lighting. EU law
requires fattening pigs are provided with manipulable enrichment materials – straw of mushroom
compost – however, many farms in Ireland and the EU fail to provide this.
Council Directive 91/630/EEC sets out the minimum standards for the protection of pigs throughout the
EU.
© Miriam Kerins, Education Officer, Dublin SPCA email [email protected]
Additional source www.ciwf.ie