Female pigs in the meat industry are confined in metal cages for a large percentage of their repeated pregnancies. Most will experience sunlight for the only time, on route to slaughter.
Sows give birth to nearly 5 million pigs raised for slaughter in Australia each year. The use of sow stalls takes place following artificial insemination and is widely accepted as cruel. Industry phase outs have been recommended in the past, but never mandated.
Today, female pigs continue to be legally housed in sow stalls for anywhere between 6 to 16 weeks. A standard cage measures at the same approximate length and width of a fully grown sow. As they are unable to move, they are forced to lie down in the same place that they urinate and defecate. Extreme confinement of these intelligent animals leads to many psychological symptoms. A legislated ban on the use of sow stalls has already been implemented in Tasmania and the ACT.
In 2010, acknowledging inherent cruelty, the Australian pork industry committed to a voluntary phase out of sow stalls by 2017. A requirement was through the Code of Practice to reduce sow stall occupation to 6 weeks, down from just over 16 was also included. Whilst a full phase out seemingly continues, this code ensures pigs can legally be housed in sow stalls for up to 10% of their entire pregnancy
I believe all pigs should be able to live lives of freedom. A voluntary, industry-led phaseout is simply not enough and I will be pursuing a legislated ban on these cruel contraptions. Sign up for updates on this campaign.
