Draft welfare codes causing stress for pig farmers — industry stalwart

Published date22 June 2022
Publication titleCentral Rural Life
The Sheffield pig farmer is struggling to see how he can make the Government’s draft welfare codes work without turning the family’s modern piggery upside down

Retrofitting the indoor farrowing, weaning and grower sheds was not workable and putting up new buildings was cost prohibitive even if it could get through the council’s consenting process, he said.

Reducing pig numbers would only make the farm less viable.

‘‘We’ve got an idea of what they’ve proposed, but we don’t really know what that’s going to be and how quickly that’s going to kick in, but it’s really, really scary because it’s got the potential to be a game-ender if they put through what they have now. I don’t think we will have an industry — it won’t be economic to farm pigs and it’s really serious.’’

First off, there was the frustration that New Zealand would come out with world-class animal welfare far ahead of any other country, yet imported pork will come to our shores from countries with sub-standard farms, some of them still using dry sow stalls.

That hurt, he said.

Above all else, though, was the disappointment that no pig farmers or specialist pig veterinarians were placed on a committee that drew up the draft papers. That was baffling.

‘‘The scary part is how we got to this point,’’ he said.

‘‘We’ve got a whole system of reviewing the animal welfare code where we just don’t have any industry or people who have experience handling or working with pigs. You look at an average farm and you’re doing at least 2000 hours a year working with your animals and you’re not invited to a table to talk.’’

Mr Molloy did go with a group representing farmers to Wellington to talk to the committee.

‘‘You’ve got no decision-making or vote around the table and you’re trying to explain something that’s rather complicated to people and they just don’t get it. At the first couple of meetings it was like 101 of pig farming and we were looking across the table at each other with jaws open.’’

He would have preferred to have seen the full house of farmers, vets, nutritionists, ethics people, RSPCA representatives, pork processors and wholesalers — among others — thrashing out the pragmatic changes needed.

Mr Molloy said some of the draft code was driven out by idealism and the farrowing crates were a case in point.

‘‘The sow is in there to protect the piglet. If we didn’t need to do that, why would I spend all that money on steel and a crate? It gives the restriction for the sow’s movement, but she has...

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