Comments on: Sow stalls in Australia

By: Anna

Anna — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 07:44:55 +0000

I worked with pigs in Denmark between 1995 and 2002 including with pregnant sows in individual sow stalls (now banned in Denmark), tied with collars (now banned in Denmark), in large groups on deep litter, free range sows, conventional piglets or grower pigs in groups of 20 – 60 on fully drained floors (now banned in Denmark), partly drained floors with under-roof sleeping areas, similar systems with some straw used or toys for behavioural management, and large groups of piglets or grower pigs on deep litter.

All systems have their advantages and disadvantages, but it seems clear to me that:

- Straw lining is vital to pig welfare
- Toys can help were straw is not an option. Just a handful of straw per group of pigs per day can also improve animal welfare in systems that can't cope with straw lining (like drained floors)
- Pigs thrive best in small groups < 20 pigs
- Very large groups (300-400 pigs) on deep litter can work but don't work automatically, and pen design is very important. It needs to offer escape & hide opportunities so weak pigs can avoid bullies
- Pig's animal welfare is in top in outdoor systems when well managed. However, it can be hard to manage, and an appropriate soil type is vital, to be able to drive the machinery and also to prevent pollution
- Individual stalls for pregnant sows are terrible for animal welfare. Sows in individual stalls tend to be sour, stressed, easy to hysterical reactions and develop repetitive, meaningless habits
- Fully drained floors (typically used for grower/finisher pigs) tend to generate animal welfare issues. The pigs can't walk properly on them, straw and toys are inhibited because the manure system is too sensitive, and there tend to be problems with the indoor climate (bad air, draught) and behavioural issues (tail biting, bullying)

I don't know about the rest of Europe, but Denmark has banned the 'bad' production systems like individual sow stalls for pregnant sows and fully drained floors for grower pigs. Individual farrowing crates are still used, but that is for good reasons, for a brief time only, and I haven't heard of a viable alternative that can protect newborn piglets.

As far as I know individual sow stalls for pregnant sows are still legal in Australia. So buy Danish pork instead of Australian pork:-)

However, buy Australian beef and lamb! Australian grass-fed livestock probably has the best living conditions in the world.

By: Lynda

Lynda — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:48:57 +0000

This week I saw Jamie Oliver's program on Foxtel called "Save Our Bacon". While the EU is due to ban sow stalls in 2013, Britain has already got rid of them and the ethical meat movement seems to be going full steam there. After all a pig is supposed to be more intelligent than a dog – imagine the outcry if dogs were kept like this. There is a movement to ban castration or ensure it is done under anaesthetic – the fact is pigs are killed at 6 months old – too young for the 'boar taint' to have occurred in male pig meat but European consumers eg.the Germans apparently won't accept uncastrated pig meat as old habits die hard. I think Australia should be moving towards the type of farming where free-range or barn-kept pigs have straw etc to carry out natural behaviours and root around. I bet the meat tastes better and I would start to eat pork again – I stopped when I found out what it involved. Consumer pressure can make a difference – check where your meat comes from. Imagine spending your life in a sow stall or farrowing crate – 5 years of torture and boredom. The piglets are kept on concrete or slats where they have nothing to do – in Britain they must be given toys to amuse themselves and this cuts out aggression between bored frustrated pigs. Apparently pigs kept so unnaturally show signs of clinical depression. Wouldn't we all?

By: Duncan

Duncan — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:13:17 +0000

Interestingly, I rarely buy pork, but have had cause to twice in the last month, not having bought any for about two years. I hadn't realised how hard it is to get prime cuts and fillet, other than supermarket overpriced, wet garbage. My local non-gourmet butcher had rolled roasts, chops and mince. That was it. Thank god for Melbourne's markets!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:21:58 +0000

Sorry, but I have nothing to offer on the topic of the treatment of livestock in Australia v the rest of the World. But I do think we tend to bury our heads in the sand about the treatment of our livestock.

People are aware of cruelty to animals in general but I don't think they associate it with what ends up on their dinner plates.

I first became really aware of cruelty to our livestock from information given out at a farmer's market in Sydney but haven't seen anything like it here in Sydney. Might be an idea to get something started?

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:04:45 +0000

Hi Zoe,yes I agree.
Not being a spokeperson for the maladie du porc that we find ourselves in I can only agree with your sentiment & add that there must be a lot of contradictory info out there that msut ne confusing.
My position is that as a consumer, dont get hoodwinked by the marketing leverage that denoting a single breed might attract.
It's more about then WAY its reared & the way its value added thats important to me.
Plenty of wannabe's produce average product from either a premium pig or a pig with sterling provenance, just use your discretion is all I'm saying.

By: Zoe

Zoe — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 05:13:44 +0000

Yeah, Steve, but then they don't buy the leaner pork because it's too bloody dry – leading to the situation where fat has been bred out of pigs and then "moisture" injected in, and this used to market the meat as "premium" by giant industrial producers (more in the second link in my comment up there, including chat with local butcher in posh area selling this WORLD GONE MAD pork).

By: sTeve

sTeve — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 05:08:52 +0000

Sorry Arwen, I ddidn't mean to say that these pigs are chosen for their fashionable names only that it has become fashionable to grow, sell & shop for them, just a wisp of cynicism on my behalf.
Curiously, talk to most butchers of an older generation & they will consistantly tell you that most of the rare breeds have way too much fat for the consumers tastes & they have learned this over the years & this is why pork is bred so lean these days.

By: barbara

barbara — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:43:46 +0000

In NZ I always bought pork that had an RSPCA seal of approval. I haven't found anything similar here when I've queried where the pork is from in butchers and supermarkets. So we haven't eaten pork since moving to Australia.

By: Arwen from Hoglet K

Arwen from Hoglet K — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:21:56 +0000

This is a great post to get us thinking about and discussing these issues of animal welfare.

I used to think that all cows in Australia lived outside eating grass. I've been horrified to find out that we do have feedlots here. Angela Crocombe claimed last week that up to 60% of our beef spends at least 50 days in feedlots.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/good-living/basket-case/2009/03/03/1235842379759.html

On the pigs issue I think it's a bit unfair to say that free range breeds are selected for a fashionable heritage name. Outdoor pigs have to have dark skins and this plays a role in the prominence of heritage breeds for free range pork.

By: Duncan

Duncan — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:30:20 +0000

Well, I was more than happy to leave this to Steve and Zoe! Great commentary! Now what about general treatment of food livestock (ie, beyond the pigs) in Australia…