Farm break-in defended

BY JILL GALLOWAY

We didn't stir up the pigs, animal welfare protesters say.

Animal rights protester Hans Kriek has refuted claims by farmer Colin Kay's that pigs on his farm near Levin were "stirred up" by activists who broke into the property.

The highly-publicised break-in filmed distressed pigs, some in sow crates, chewing bars, frothing at the mouth, a dead pig and "depressed" animals.

Former pork industry frontman Mike King was involved in the break-in.

Mr Kay said the pigs had been stirred up to promote such behaviour for the animal rights group's own agenda.

But Save Animals from Exploitation (SAFE) campaign director Mr Kriek said the film of Mr Kay's farm was given to SAFE by Open Rescue, another animal rights group, and he did not believe the pigs had been roused by the protesters.

"It is completely nonsensical. These pigs were screaming and you could hear them 500 metres down the road. The neighbours hear them screaming all the time. The last thing that people who want to help the animals want to do is agitate them."

The conditions at Mr Kay's farm were bad, but Mr Kriek said he knew they were within the law.

"Unfortunately, New Zealand law allows these practices to continue. That's our concern. We want the law changed so these farmers can not do these practices any more."

He expected the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), which makes the rules on animal treatment, to revisit the Pig Welfare Code as a result of publicising the treatment of pigs.

Mr Kriek said SAFE did not believe the code would be reviewed this year, as NAWAC had not done any of the research it was supposed to have done in order to make decisions.

"They were going to delay it, but now under pressure from the Government, they have to move on getting this code sorted out."

Pork Industry Board chief executive Sam McIvor said pork producers are under financial pressure, with grain costing more, and farmers here dealing with more environmental and animal welfare regulations than many of their counterparts overseas, where pork is imported from.

"On top of that, they have subsidies, which are very helpful. And they also put some other things into the pigs, such as hormones and antibiotics, to a larger degree than we do."

Mr McIvor said those industries can land pork in New Zealand at cheap prices.

But he was a firm believer in the pork industry here.

"People are eating about half a kilogram more of pork a year."

In the world, pork is number one in consumption at 60 per cent. But New Zealand bucks the trend 20 per cent of our meat intake is pork.

There is an opportunity to increase consumption here, Mr McIvor said.

He acknowledged pork consumption had gone down after media attention over the way some pigs are intensively farmed.

"There was a lot of pork left on the shelves on the Monday and Tuesday, after the Sunday television programme, but consumption is back where we'd expect it to be now," Mr McIvor said.

"New Zealand pork producers work very closely with their pigs on an hourly, come daily, basis.

"And they absolutely know there is a very strong relationship between getting welfare right, and production and profitability."

If welfare is compromised, a pig farmer loses money hand over fist very fast, Mr McIvor said.

He talked about the impact of the animal rights protests against intensive pig farming.

"I think some people, yes, it has made a difference, but the best test is sales, and retail sales did take a bit of a dip, but they've worked their way back."

He believed balance came back into the equation and consumers have worked it out for themselves.

- © Fairfax NZ News