Don't be fooled! 

SAFE is concerned and alarmed at recent comments and responses in the media from the New Zealand Pork Industry Board and pork industry representatives. SAFE believes many of these are factually incorrect or misleading. The information below is intended to help explain or clarify these claims or statements.

Some supermarkets have put up misleading notices supplied to them by their pork suppliers.

One example is a letter displayed in a Christchurch Pak n Save store from Porkcorp NZ Ltd which states: "All pork supplied to Foodstuffs by Porkcorp NZ has never been confined by a crate or stall."

This statement implies that sow stalls or farrowing crates are not used in the production of pork by Porkcorp NZ. This is not true. Many of the fattening pigs Porkcorp NZ sells to Foodstuffs are born and reared (until weaned) in farrowing crates. Porkcorp NZ also omits to say that the piglets' mother are also likely to be confined to sow stalls. SAFE urges consumers to complain to supermarket management wherever they see misleading statements like this.

The industry says it is "phasing out long term use of sow stalls."

This statement is totally misleading and untrue. The industry seeks to retain the use of sow stalls indefinitely. The ‘phase out' they are referring to relates to the length of time a sow will spend inside a stall. The industry wants to be able to keep sows inside sow stalls (the same size as seen on TV) for four week periods at the start of their pregnancy.

The industry wants 10 years for this ‘phase-out,' during which time thousands of sows will continue to suffer.

The pork industry is not telling the New Zealand public that the sow will also spend a further four to six weeks inside a farrowing crate - a crate almost the same size as the sow stall. The main difference is that she will have her new-born piglets with her, although she will be unable to properly nurse or comfort them.

Most sows have two pregnancies per year, meaning the sows will still spend a third of their lives in sow stalls or farrowing crates.

The industry says there are no alternatives to sow stalls. They argue sows fight in group housing and that stalls provide better welfare.

If this were true, then how can pig farmers in New Zealand rear more than half of New Zealand's breeding sows without sow stalls?

The industry say pregnant sows become aggressive and must be kept in sow stalls for their own well being.

If a sow must be kept apart from others during her pregnancy it does not need to be inside a sow stall, which prevents her from even turning around. A single pen would offer the same solution, but at additional cost to the farmer.

The chairman of the New Zealand Pork Industry Board, Chris Trengrove, says: "I have not been on a farm that looks anything like that."

All intensive pig farms in New Zealand confine sows in sow stalls for prolonged periods of their life. SAFE acknowledges that there are some intensive piggeries that are more modern and cleaner than the one visited by Mike King and animal activists, while there are others that are dirtier. However the problems go beyond appearance. All farms using sow stalls use the same size stalls - 2 m x 60 cm - leading to the welfare problems witnessed by Mike King.

The industry says intensive farming is the only way to remain competitive due to imported pork products.

Pork products sold in New Zealand are not labelled adequately. This is grossly misleading for the consumer. If you purchase pork products that do not clearly state they are certified free range it is likely you are unwittingly supporting pig cruelty in New Zealand and overseas. By boycotting intensively produced pork products consumers can force producers to change from cruel intensive methods, leading to lower prices and better pig welfare.

Piggery owner Colin Kay, who is at the centre of the pig cruelty debate, says pigs at his Levin piggery may have been provoked by animal activists.

SAFE has been assured that these sows could be heard vocalising about 100m away from the property. NZ Open Rescue say they saw highly agitated or depressed sows, pigs with little or no water or food. The pigs were displaying stereotypic behavior such as bar biting, and some pigs could barely stand. They also found a sow dead in her crate. The activists were very concerned about these animals and assumed that farm workers had not bothered to turn up to work the previous day.

Colin Kay says the footage broadcast on Sunday was not all recorded at his farm.

This is correct. The footage of the farrowing crates was filmed in Auckland, and Piggy Sue was obtained from a piggery in Carterton before being relocated to a sanctuary. Sunday stated that the farrowing crate footage was not taken at Colin's farm. The footage aired of sows in crates was however all filmed at Kay's piggery at Levin.

Colin Kay says "I think there were at least two other piggeries. I've been taking the hit on the whole show."

SAFE did not initially reveal Colin Kay as the owner because we did not want the media to simply focus on an individual farmer. All intensive pig farms severely confine pigs in barren conditions which prevent the sows from being able to express their normal patterns of behaviour.