Improved auditing and labelling for pork

22 July 2009

New Zealand's pork industry says it will step up its focus on animal welfare and will improve product labelling.

The pork industry was thrust into the media spotlight in May following a documentary on TV ONE's Sunday programme in which comedian Mike King, formerly the frontman for New Zealand Pork, broke into a pig farm with animal activists.

Shocked at the farming conditions, King called on the Minister of Agriculture to investigate pig farming practices.

The industry's board New Zealand Pork on Wednesday said it would begin an industry-wide animal welfare audit of every commercial pig farm in New Zealand.

The audit scheme will be based around an independent annual review of compliance with the Pig Welfare Code as well as regular vet visits that commercial pig farmers have in place.

New Zealand Port CEO Sam McIvor says the board will also develop a product labelling system that will clearly show wholesalers and retailers what production system the pork has been grown under.

"It is too early to say how we will describe our different farming systems, but this will be part of the work that will be undertaken to ensure we get this right," McIvor says.

The new initiatives were announced following the board's annual meeting in Christchurch.

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