Europe's Pig Farms
The factory farming of pigs across Europe is atrocious. The EU Pigs Directive is due to be reviewed soon and along with CIWF we are lobbying the EU commissioner for better conditions for pigs throughout Europe.
The problems include sows being crammed into farrowing crates about five days before giving birth. The crates are so tiny that the sows cannot do anything except stand up and lie down and they are kept like that until the piglets are weaned at 3-4 weeks of age. If the sows were allowed to behave naturally they would build an elaborate nest for their piglets but it is impossible to do this in a farrowing crate. Once the piglets are born she cannot mother them properly from the confines of the crate. These cruel farrowing crates need to be phased out throughout Europe and hopefully eventually everywhere else.
Fattening pigs are kept in barren indoor pens with no enrichment so they cannot perform their natural behaviours or play in this environment which is normally devoid of straw. In fact no factory farmed pigs can perform any of their natural behaviours associated with foraging such as sniffing, rooting and chewing. Although since 2003, EU law has banned routine tail docking and required pigs to be given straw or similar material, these laws are being widely ignored. DEFRA should be enforcing the ban on tail docking in the U.K. but they are failing to do this. Compassion in World Farming has called for:
- A ban on castration and tooth clipping: although in the U.K. and Ireland pigs are not castrated it is the norm in Europe to castrate without any anaesthetic.
- Straw bedding should be given to all pigs
- More space should be given to fattening pigs
- A ban should be put on fully slatted floors. It is very difficult to provide straw on such inadequate flooring.
In his book ‘The Whole Hog’ Lyall Watson writes about pigs:-
"I know of no other animals that are more consistently curious … more ready to meet the world with open-mouthed enthusiasm. Pigs are incurable optimists and get a big kick out of just being".
If you want to help in the campaign to get inhumane farming systems banned please write to Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou and ask her to start work urgently on a review of the Pigs Directive and urge her to include the reforms above in that review:
Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou
Commissioner for Health
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels
Belgium
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