EU pig industry 'out of control,' say animal welfarists

Monday, October 6, 2014

According to U.K.-based animal welfare campaigners Compassion in World Farming, illegal practices are so prevalent in pig farming that the industry's publications routinely run photos of farms that are breaking the law, The Pig Site reports.

The most blatant offenses, Compassion says, are a lack of enrichment materials and widespread tail-docking. The European Union (EU) council directive regarding pigs says they must have permanent access to materials like straw, hay or sawdust to root around in, and that tail-docking must only be employed after inadequate conditions, such as a lack of enrichment materials, have been corrected.

However, Compassion collected photos from pig industry magazines and websites from all over the EU and the United Kingdom showing pigs with no enrichment at all or just metal chains, which are insufficient on their own. All of the pigs had docked tails.

"If this is what the industry aspires to, then it is in seriously bad shape," Peter Stevenson, Compassion's chief policy advisor, told The Pig Site. "The EU pig industry is out of control, behaving as if it is above the law."

The photos have been sent to European Commissioner Tonio Borg with an appeal to punish offenders. BP