Pork labelling attacked

Comedian Mike King is accusing the pork industry of "deception" over promises to make factory pig farming methods transparent and protect animal welfare.

A new label developed by NZPork saying "100% NZPork Welfare Approved" – soon to be used on some shop-sold pork – will not say if pigs are reared in sow crates (metal cages, for sows during pregnancy, which are so small sows cannot turn around) and farrowing stalls (just wide enough to enable pigs to lie down to nurse).

The pork industry argues the cages immobilise pigs to stop them fighting and mounting each other when on heat. But the cages also increase pigs' stress levels.

A Colmar Brunton Survey carried out late last year showed 77% of New Zealanders want a ban on sow stalls and farrowing crates, another 77% want production methods displayed on pork labels.

Sow crates are banned in the United Kingdom and parts of the United States. Tasmania this month announced a ban on sow stalls by 2017, and last week the Australian pork industry initiated public consultation about a voluntary ban on sow stalls.

As part of a TV One documentary screened in May last year, King, formerly the frontman for NZPork, broke into a factory pig farm with animal activists and filmed distressed pigs in sow crates screaming and frothing at the mouth.

He told the Sunday Star-Times the new labels amounted to "deception". "You can't hide from the truth but you can dress it up in fancy clothes, and that's what they're doing."

NZPork's chief executive Sam McIvor denied the label would mislead shoppers "as the welfare of those animals will have been checked against our audit system and those animals' welfare will have been proven to be excellent".

But Safe's campaign director Hans Kriek said virtually all pig farmers would qualify to use the "Welfare Approved" label since the audit used the current welfare code for pigs, from 2005, which allows sow crates and farrow stalls. He said the label was "meaningless" and "designed to fool people".

Following the TV documentary, McIvor said: "We will develop a product labelling descriptor system that will allow wholesalers and retailers to clearly identify the production system their pork has been grown under."

But last week McIvor told the Sunday Star-Times that he had not meant consumer labels would show if sow crates and farrowing stalls were used – rather, NZPork had issued definitions of production methods for the industry's own use.

The National Animal Welfare Advisory Council is revamping the 2005 welfare code – with new limits for the amount of time sow crates can be used after a sow has given birth (four weeks), and a proposed ban on them by 2017.

McIvor said people who did not like current pig farming methods could buy more expensive "free farmed" and "free range" pork, which made up about 4% of sales.

- © Fairfax NZ News