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Pig farming
From CopperWiki
Around 1.3 billion pigs are slaughtered annually for meat worldwide. The majority of these are in East Asia, particularly China, which rears half of the world’s pigs. This is followed by the EU, North America and Brazil.
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[edit] Why should I be aware of this?
This shift away from traditional pig farming to large-scale intensive methods has resulted in significant concerns for the welfare of millions of pigs throughout the world. There are serious health and environmental concerns associated with pig farming. Inadequate management of pigs waste products and lagoon management can lead to pollution spills and risk of chemical exposure to farm workers, fish and livestock.
[edit] All about pig farming
Pig farming requires suitable soil and climatic conditions. In countries or areas with unsuitable climate or soil for outdoor pig raising, indoor piggeries have allowed pig farming to be undertaken. There are many breeds of pigs. Eight major pig breeds are commonly used for breeding.
Pig farming involves six stages. They are:
- Breeding
- Gestation
- Birthing or farrowing as it is usually referred to in the industry
- Weaning
- Nursery
- Grow finishing
[edit] Intensive pig farming
These are factory farms that raise domestic pigs up to slaughter weight for commercial purposes. Here pigs are raised indoors in rows of wall-to-wall pens. Sow stalls are used for pregnant sows. Though these lower birth production costs, the living conditions of pregnant pigs raises concerns about animal welfare. Pregnant sows are often confined in narrow crates, unable to move freely.
In some instances, the piglets reared for meat, are often mutilated, without anaesthetic, and kept in dimly lit concrete sheds without bedding. Some do not have access to sunlight, straw, fresh air or earth. The immobility and confinement badly damage the pigs' immune systems and they are susceptible to infections. To take care of such situations, they are given antibiotics and vaccines.
[edit] Outdoor bred
'Outdoor bred' means the pigs are born outside. The pigs are then brought indoors for fattening, after a few weeks. They are usually kept in a system with plenty of bedding material such as straw. It could also mean the sows are not confined in sow stalls or farrowing crates.
[edit] Outdoor reared
'Outdoor reared' means the pigs were reared outside for around half their lives. During this time they might not necessarily have access to pasture, but will be kept in an outside pen. Throughout their lives they will have access to plenty of bedding such as straw. It should also mean the sows are not confined in sow stalls or farrowing crates and are kept free-range.
If you buy any pork reared indoors look for 'straw bedded' or 'deep bedded' on the packaging. Pigs need straw or woodchips to root in otherwise they get bored and hungry in indoor systems. This can lead them to bite each other’s tails and causes farmers to tail dock piglets – a painful procedure carried out without anaesthetic.
[edit] Bedding
Deep bedding is very important for pigs’ natural behaviour and deep bedded indoor systems can offer higher welfare. If you buy any pork from pigs reared indoors look for 'straw bedded' or 'deep bedded' on the packaging.
[edit] Logos
- Organic --Organic can offer animals higher welfare. Organic pigs are outdoor reared for at least 80% of their lives and are often kept free-range. Soil Association certified organic pigmeat is reared to the highest welfare standards and Soil Association pigs are kept free-range for at least the first 80% of their lives.
- RSPCA Freedom Food -- Higher welfare standards are required for indoor and outdoor pigmeat. Pigs must be provided with bedding. However, farrowing crates may still be used for a limited period.
- British--Sow stalls are banned in Britain. However, farrowing crates can still be used and pigs may be reared indoors in intensive systems without bedding. The main labels that show that pigmeat is British are the Red Tractor mark and the Quality Standard mark. These standards also ban castration but allow tooth clipping and tail docking under certain circumstances.
[edit] Pig farming and environment
Organic pig farming where pigs are raised out doors with access to open space and are not given antibiotics, are not harmful to the environment. However industrial pig farms rear hundreds and thousands of pigs in limited space with inadequate waste treatment facilities. The waste also contains host toxic substances such as ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, cyanide, phosphorous, nitrates and heavy metals. In addition, the waste nurses more than 100 microbial pathogens that can cause illness in humans, including salmonella, cryptosporidium, streptocolli and girardia. Each gram of hog shit can contain as much as 100 million fecal coliform bacteria. The pollutants degrade the soil and the ground water.
[edit] What can I do?
- Check the ingredients of sandwiches, ready-meals etc – unless it says the pork, bacon, ham or sausage used is free-range, outdoor bred or reared it probably isn’t.
- Buy pork, ham, bacon and sausages that are free-range (outdoor bred and reared)
- If you buy pork, ham, bacon and sausages from pigs reared indoors, look for pigs raised in deep straw bedded systems.
- Speak to the manager of your local supermarket to request they stock higher welfare pig products.
- Look for outdoor bred and reared pork, ham or bacon in the contents of ready meals or pies
- Request free-range - outdoor bred and reared pork dishes in restaurants
[edit] CopperBytes
- Most pigs are sold for bacon production when they reach 95kg
- Possible pig diseases in pig farms include: Enzotic Pneumonia, Swine vesicular disease, Foot and Mouth disease, Roundworm and Lice.
