City link in Mike King's pig crusade

A helpful hint on depression sent from a Southland man led comedian Mike King to discover crate farming practices of pigs in New Zealand.

King has since worked with animal activists to highlight crate farming of pigs and this week he said he would never have fronted an advertising campaign promoting pork had he know how the pigs were treated.

Yesterday, King said he had been in the south a year ago and met a man who had discussed the issue of depression, from which King suffers.

He was sent an email with information about depression and another related link discussing depression in pigs. From that link he was taken to an animal activist site and discovered a film of pigs in crates.

Agriculture Minister David Carter has called for a review of the welfare code for pigs to be the top priority for the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee. His call followed a current affairs programme airing footage filmed by animal welfare organisation Open Rescue, which showed a break-in at a Levin pig farm.

Yesterday, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) animal welfare inspectors, an independent vet and pig expert visited the pig farm.

Mr Carter said the advisory committee was reviewing the 2005 code for pigs. He has asked for the review to be given the "highest priority".

The owner of the piggery, former New Zealand Pork Industry Board chairman Colin Kay, told media after the MAF inspection that investigators did not find anything wrong with the farm.

- © Fairfax NZ News