More support needed to help mother pigs have better welfare conditions says global charity World Animal Protection

TORONTO, Sept. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - A plan to move mother pigs into a more humane housing system may be delayed across Canada.

In the wake of COVID-19 and other challenges, the deadline to transition mother pigs ('sows') from sow stalls to group housing is being proposed for extension, from 2024 to 2029. Sow stalls (also called 'gestation crates') are a form of confinement housing where mother pigs are kept in a space barely larger than their bodies. They are widely considered inhumane and are being phased out in several jurisdictions across the globe.

In 2014, a multi stakeholder committee updated the code of practice for the care and handling of pigs. This was in accordance with the National Farm Animal Care Council's (NFACC) code development process, which required producers to adopt group housing systems by 2024. Codes are updated every 10 years with reviews conducted every five years. On Monday, as part of the five-year review process, a Code Technical Panel issued a report which proposes several amendments, including the  five-year extension for the pork industry to transition mother pigs to group housing, due to economic and other challenges.

"We are obviously disappointed with the announcement," said Lynn Kavanagh, Farming Campaign Manager with World Animal Protection, an organization that is one of two animal welfare groups with membership on the NFACC board, "but we recognize the complexities and challenges involved in moving from stall housing to group housing, not the least of which is the cost associated with refurbishing and renovating barns. We are encouraged by the fact that 1/3 of the industry has already adopted group housing for mother pigs, which is a major welfare improvement in the day to day life of these highly intelligent, social animals, as it gives the animals space to move around and socialize with other pigs."

The announcement also signals an important opportunity for the federal government to support more humane farming systems. With a global movement to "build back better" in response to COVID-19, this is an opportune time for the government to provide financial support to accelerate the transition to more humane and sustainable farming systems. This should be part of Canada's green economic recovery.

More and more Canadians are becoming aware of and care about where their food comes from and how it is produced. Animal welfare is an important part of this concern. World Animal Protection is also calling on the Retail Council of Canada and the seven grocery retail members to publicly uphold their commitment to phase out sow stalls in their supply chains by 2022. As the industry has already made progress in moving towards group housing and will continue to do so, World Animal Protection expects enough supply will be available in Canada to meet this commitment.

Other recommendations made by the panel include mandatory training in humane handling for anyone working with animals, annual reporting on the transition to group housing, and removing a loophole that permitted producers to keep mother pigs in stalls provided they are given 'periodic exercise'.

The panel also identified important issues for the 2024 code update: better enrichment for pigs, such as straw, pain management for surgical procedures and more space for pigs to move around.

World Animal Protection wants to see a requirement for straw or a similar material in the next code, as well as a shortened time frame for mother pigs in stalls after insemination. Despite the move to group housing, producers are still permitted to keep mother pigs in stalls for up to 35 days post-insemination to protect the fetus. World Animal Protection believes this is too long and unnecessary. The industry also needs to move away from painful procedures like tail-docking and castration altogether.

"There is enough evidence and examples that show in well-managed systems with adequate space and good enrichment, tail-docking isn't necessary" says Kavanagh.

The code amendments will be open for public comment until November 19 and World Animal Protection encourages people to make comments on the changes, as well as express their opinion on the welfare issues important to them.

The full code review report can be accessed on the NFACC website.

About World Animal Protection

From our offices around the world, including China, Australia, Brazil, Kenya and Canada, we move the world to protect animals. Last year, we gave more than 3 billion animals better lives through our campaigns that focus on animals in the wild, animals in disasters, animals in communities and animals in farming. For more information visit www.worldanimalprotection.ca

SOURCE World Animal Protection