An Industry defends itself...

Why Factory 'Farmers' keep pigs this way...

The systems of extreme confinement such as sow stalls and farrowing crates used by the intensive pig industry - are designed for one reason only - to maximise productivity and therefore profit.

In intensive facilities producers strive to keep as many breeding pigs as possible in a confined shed area, the goal being to produce the maximum number of piglets for onwards sale and slaughter.
The pig industry will say that this basis of farming is consumer driven - that they need to produce enough pigs to meet the demand for pork, bacon and ham.

Currently few Australian's who purchase pork products are aware of the animals lives prior to slaughter - therefore no real level of 'demand' for the products produced by the intensive pig industry has ever been gauged.

Welfare in Industry terms..

When the intensive pig industry talks about the welfare of sows - it does so within the demands of maximum production within the existing restrictive buildings and facilities.

When the industry defends its practices it doesn't acknowledge that problems they suggest are being overcome by keeping animals individually confined, are caused by the industry seeking to keep too many animals in too small an area to maximize profits.

Welfare in industry terms relates to an animal's physical health - the ability to physically live and breed and therefore remain productive and profitable. However physical 'welfare' does not extend to considering the animals need to exercise to maintain muscle strength and strong bones.

In intensive facilities sows regularly become lame through continually standing on hard floors. If this condition becomes so severe that she is unable to produce piglets she is slaughtered.

Defending their Practices

"Pigs are obviously healthy and happy because they are breeding and growing (being productive)."

Truth:
Reproduction is an important survival trait, and continues to occur in the worst
welfare conditions – e.g. human jails and refugee camps, and when wild animals are caged in the most terrible zoo enclosures. Reproduction is not synonymous with good welfare practice.

"Sow stalls are needed to stop aggression between sows."

Truth:
The industry will suggest that keeping sows separated in tiny stalls protects them from the aggressive behaviour of other sows. However what they fail to acknowledge, is that the problems of group housing result from attempting to keep too many sows together in an inappropriately small pens in their desire to maximize profit from existing shed areas.

Any species of animals or even our own species, if confined in an insufficient area together without stimulation, unable to exhibit normal behaviour or develop social groups, will exhibit frustration and aggression.

"Stall confinement is needed to ensure each pig is individually fed, and her nutrition is adequate during pregnancy."

Truth:
Female pigs in intensive systems are provided with high protein grain based diets just once or twice each day. This diet provides nutrition but no bulk roughage, and thus most sows are constantly hungry. Their hunger and associated frustration at their confinement leads to 'stereotypic' behaviour such as sham chewing of bars and continuous head weaving.

In Europe, alternative systems which allow sows to live together, exercise, socialize, and have access to bedding - successfully use electronic feeding stations and individual feed stalls to ensure that each female breeding pig is able to access her food.

"Stall and farrowing crate confinement ensures pigs have shelter and a temperature-controlled environment.."

Truth:
Group housing of pigs with litter (rice hulls, sawdust, straw etc) in large open-ended hoop-shaped sheds are already used in Australia for some sows, and the majority of growing pigs, and provide these requirements. Free range breeding pigs have access to shelters and huts with bedding, and wet mud wallows to assist with high temperatures, and are able to adequately regulate their own temperature environment.

"'Farrowing crates' prevent sows from crushing piglets"

Truth:
Cards on the table required with this one. The industry sees piglets as dollars so has a direct interest in seeing maximum piglets survive. Animals Australia sees the sow/piglet relationship and associated survival as a welfare issue not a financial one.

The design of free range birthing huts, including internal wall bars and carefully managed straw/litter levels, coupled with the naturally greater communication between free range sows and piglets, can achieve very low level of smothering of piglets (to levels similar to restrictive farrowing crates). The Werribee Farrowing Pen (which allows the sow greater movement), developed in Australia, achieves similar piglet survival rates (to crates), but because it requires more space in the piggery, has not been commercially adopted.

"Keeping animals in sow stalls and farrowing crates is legal.."

Truth:
Yes it is, and rather than this being a defence to keeping animals in such a way, it highlights the tragic injustices that face farm animals in this country. The primary provisions of each states animal protection laws would make such confinement of animals a cruelty offence.

However, in all states legislation, a section exists that states that if you are an animal that is involved in an industry covered by a 'code of practice' you are not protected by the primary provisions of the act.

"The industry needs intensive systems to be able to produce sufficient products to meet demand, and the use of outdoor or group housing systems with litter, will mean pork products will cost more.."

Truth:
Two crucial points. This industry has thus far been providing intensively produced products to an uninformed consumer base. Therefore demand for their products cannot be accurately assessed until they are dealing with informed consumers who have assessed whether they want to financially support this industry's practices.

Conclusion:

In assessing whether sow stalls or farrowing crates provide good welfare for pigs, we need to consider such factors as the following;

• Pigs are intelligent, social, curious and affectionate animals.
• Our society has long accepted that imprisonment is punishment. We are aware that the denial of freedom and exercise, inability to adequately interact with members of our species of our choosing, inability to perform behaviour that is innate and required to provide quality of life - is punishment.
  

Pigs in factory farms have committed no crime, yet they are condemned to suffer, and their sentence is for life. You can change the way they live—make the Pro Pig Pledge today!