Transcript
Melina: Being confined to stalls or crates just means that pigs can't engage in natural behaviors such as foraging, rooting, sniffing, and it leaves them constantly frustrated.
Brian: Hello and welcome to RSPCA Australia's Great and Small Talk, where we discuss the pressing welfare issues animals face in Australia. I'm Brian Daly, and today we're joined once again, by Melina Tensen, RSPCA Australia's Senior Scientific Officer for Farm Animals, to talk about pig farming and specifically the welfare issues around the confinement of pigs in the farming system. Welcome back to the podcast, Melina.
Melina: Thanks for having me, Brian, good to be back.
Brian: There are around 2.5 million pigs currently farmed in Australia, and it is estimated that 10.3 kilograms of fresh pork is consumed per Australian each year. And given that pigs are intelligent, sociable and inquisitive animals, the way they are farmed can pose significant welfare challenges. Melina, can you give us an overview of how pigs are farmed in Australia today?
Melina: Well, the Australian pig herd is made up of around 280,000 breeding sows, or Mother pigs, whose sole purpose is to produce the piglets who are raised for meat. In other words, that's the fresh pork that we eat and that you can buy in the supermarkets. And as you mentioned, at any one time, there are around two and a half million pigs being raised for meat in this country. And I guess when thinking about how these pigs are farmed, if, if people even think about that, perhaps images of pigs happily wallowing in mud or foraging in paddocks come to mind. But unfortunately, the reality is that 90% of pigs, so the vast majority of pigs, are housed in barren indoor environments with slattered concrete floors and limited space, no bedding, and certainly no opportunity to engage in those natural behaviors. I think it's only about 5% of pig production in Australia that's free range, where all pigs are outdoors all the time. And of course, they have access to shelters as well. And then there's another 5% of pigs that are in so called outdoor bred, raised on straw systems, where the breeding herd, in other words, the sows and the boars and the piglets are all free range until those piglets are weaned, in other words, removed from their mothers. And these weaned piglets are then moved into large sheds with bedding or straw, where they're raised until they reach slaughter weight. So that's essentially your pig farming systems today.
Brian: And what are the biggest welfare issues that need urgent addressing in the farming system?
Melina: Well, when it comes to pig production, particularly at a large commercial scale, in these indoor environments, the biggest welfare issue is the fundamental absence of any opportunity for those pigs to express their natural behaviors. So pigs are highly motivated to root in the soil, to forage for food and explore their surroundings. And as you said at the start, they're incredibly sociable animals as well. So all these things that pigs are highly motivated to do are either impossible or severely restricted in barren indoor systems, and obviously restricting or preventing these highly motivated behaviors can lead to pigs becoming bored or frustrated, and that, in turn, can lead to aggressive behaviors towards other pigs, like pigs biting each other, for example. And this includes biting tails, which is a serious welfare concern in the pig industry, pigs can also develop stereotypies, like bar biting or sham chewing, where they're pretending to chew on something but don't really, and all this in an attempt to cope with the environment and yeah, and also they just become chronically stressed. So this, this lack of opportunity for pigs to express innate behaviors that are so important to them, and this lack of opportunity for them to express these behaviors in barren indoor housing system really needs to change. And then, of course, a pressing issue in the pig industry is the extreme confinement of breeding pigs.
Brian: Talk us through that, what does that entail, and what are the issues with that extreme confinement?
Melina: So as I mentioned earlier, the pigs raised for meat are the offspring of breeding sows, or mother pigs. And the Australian pig industry, some years ago, now voluntarily committed to phasing out sow stalls and most pregnant sows are now housed in groups with freedom of movement, rather than being confined to a sow stall, which, as you might remember, is a metal, barred crate, not much bigger than the sow herself. So sows are impregnated, and then they're pregnant for about 16 weeks, and during this time, they're housed in groups, ranging from, you know, there might be a handful of pigs in a pen to around 200 sows in a large shed, and about a week before she gives birth, the sow is moved into a farrowing crate.
Brian: So a farrowing crate isn't the same as a sow stall?
Melina: Well, the farrowing crate confines the sow in a similar way to a sow stall. In other words, the metal barred crate allows the sour to take a small step forward and a small step backward, but she can't turn around. And it's this extreme form of confinement was really designed to stop the sow from crushing her newborn piglets when she goes to lie down. So the sow has moved into the farrowing crate about a week before her piglets are born. So first she's in group housing, then she's moved to the farrowing crate a week before the piglets are born. Then once the piglets are born, the sow stays in the crate for another four to five weeks so she can feed those piglets, and the piglets are then weaned and moved to separate weaner accommodation, and the sow then goes back into group housing, and when she's on heat and ready for mating, she's moved to a mating stall for artificial insemination. And a mating stall is effectively the same as a sow stall, it's not much different, and she can stay in here for up to five days before being released back into that group housing. And so you might be wondering, what about boars, or the male breeding pigs, and where they come into the picture. So most mating, as I previously mentioned, occurs through artificial insemination of the sow, but boars are used for semen collection, as well as to bring the sow onto heat or check whether a sow is ready for mating, and this is done by walking the boar in front of sows so they're not actually in contact with the sow. And believe it or not, boars are often held in boar stalls. And I guess, yeah, you guessed it, like sow stalls, a boar stall doesn't allow the boar to turn around or walk more than a step forward or a step backward, and incredibly, boars are only released from these stalls for mating or for twice a week exercise. So it's it's yet another form of extreme confinement. So we've got farrowing crates, we've got mating stalls, and we've got boar stools, all routinely being used for housing the breeding herd. And so we'd say that there's lots of room for improvement when it comes to the welfare of breeding pigs in Australia.
Brian: We often still see sow stall free on pork labels. Are they still used at all?
Melina: Yes, they are still used. So the industry, the pig industry, committed to phasing out sow stalls several years ago, and that was absolutely a positive move and led to better welfare for pregnant sows, who are the sows that are kept in sow stalls, but it's a voluntary commitment. Legally, pregnant sows may be kept in sow stalls for up to six weeks of their 16 week pregnancy, and estimates at the moment are that just under 20% of sows are still confined to sow stalls during their pregnancy. So, if we have a herd of around 280,000 sows in Australia, that equates to around 56,000 animals who, in practice, would be moved from a farrowing crate after her piglets are weaned to a sow stall where she's impregnated, and then after up to six weeks of being in a sow stall, she's then transferred to the group housing until ready to give birth, and moved back into a farrowing crate again. And so that's how the cycle repeats itself for the entire life of the sow.
Brian: So we're talking sow stalls, farrowing crates, boar stalls, mating stalls. Tell us more about why this form of confinement of breeding pigs leads to poor welfare.
Melina: Well, clearly, if you're stuck in a metal, barred crate, not much bigger than your body, and you're unable to walk or run as you would naturally, then we're talking about extreme confinement, pigs in stalls and crates struggle to change position, and inevitably, they spend a lot of time lying down, which leads to lameness and injury. And you can imagine that in a crate or a stall, it's hard for them to get up, it's hard for them to get to lie down or or even adopt a comfortable sleeping position, because of the constant contact with the bars of the crate, and it's thought that this disrupts the amount of sleep and the quality of sleep that these animals get, and sleep is very important, and pigs are innately social animals. We've already talked about that, and being unable to have normal social interactions with other pigs leads to stress, and importantly, being confined to stalls or crates just means that pigs can't engage in natural behaviors such as foraging, rooting, sniffing, and it leaves them constantly frustrated. And certainly, when it comes to pregnant sounds who are about to give birth, they're highly motivated to seek out a nesting site, and build a nest for her piglets. This is what she would do if she had the space and the opportunity. And this is just not possible in a farrowing crate. And once the piglets are born, she can't express those normal maternal behaviors. She can't interact and bond with the piglets, because the extreme confinement in a farrowing crate simply doesn't give her the space to do so.
Brian: And obviously, there are better alternatives to this. I've had the good fortune to get onto one of these free range pig farms with you over in Western Australia, and have a look at how that system works. Can you tell us what's holding back the industry from implementing better alternatives?
Melina: Well, there are certainly better alternatives, and that's why the RSPCA has always called for an end to the extreme confinement of breeding pigs. As mentioned, the Australian pig industry is well on its way to fully transitioning from sow stalls to group housing of pregnant sows. Boar stalls can certainly be replaced with boar pens and farrowing crates can be replaced with farrowing pens that give the sow more freedom of movement. And with a farrowing pen, there's not the option to even temporarily crate the sow. So pigs should have the opportunity to explore and forage in enriched environments. They should be able to interact socially with other pigs. They should have enough space to move around freely and lie down comfortably and express highly motivated behaviors like nesting and maternal behaviors. Essentially, pigs should just be able to be pigs.
Brian: So, other than choosing something else on the menu, what can concerned individuals do about this?
Melina: So if you choose to eat pork, you should know that many pork products, such as processed ham, bacon, deli meats and other pre-cooked products such as pulled pork, for example, are imported. And farming standards in other countries may differ to those in Australia. So not many people know that a lot of pork products in this country are imported. But the good thing is that all fresh pork sold in Australia comes from pigs farmed in Australia. And I guess, regardless of whether you're looking for free range or outdoor bred or sow stall free pork, higher welfare is all about how the pigs are raised, how they're handled, how they're housed, and, of course, how they're managed to ensure that their physical and behavioral needs are met. So, the best way to find out about a farming system is by contacting the brand of your favorite pork products and ask them for further information. Of course, there's the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, which is one way in which the RSPCA helps to improve pig welfare. And through this scheme, we work closely with farmers committed to raising their pigs to higher animal welfare standards. And check out more on our website at rspca.org.au, for more information, and indeed, to find out where you can buy RSPCA Approved pork and of course, if you are concerned about the welfare of pigs or other farmed animals for that matter, you can write to your state agriculture minister, you can write to your local MP or even your local supermarket, and just let them know that you oppose cruel farming practices such as this extreme confinement of pigs. And finally, I guess I'd say that an industry wide transition away from all forms of extreme confinement of pigs is absolutely possible. It's not an impossible ask. Really, what we're saying is no more stalls and no more crates. That's the future of pig farming. So as individuals, I think it's important that we speak up for those who can't speak for themselves and essentially be the voice of change.
Brian: Couldn't agree with you more. Melina, thank you so much for updating us on the latest welfare issues that these farmed pigs face in Australia, and let's hope that these areas that need urgent addressing are acted on swiftly by the industry for the benefit of little piggies everywhere. Thanks for being with us today, Melina.
Melina: Thanks so much, Brian.
Brian: We've been talking today with Melina Tensen, Senior Scientific Officer for Farm Animals in Australia, and thank you for listening. If you would like any more information on welfare considerations for pigs, visit RSPCA Australia's website at rspca.org.au You can also subscribe to the podcast series at the website, or all the usual podcast suspects. I'm Brian Daly, and I look forward to your company next time on RSPCA Australia's Great and Small Talk.
