February update

Like all Kiwis, our thoughts are with those affected by the cyclone in the North Island. The NZPork team has been shocked by the scenes of devastation in Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne and parts of Northland.

We have been in contact with pig farmers in the affected areas and some have experienced power outages and storm damage. However, in comparison to what we are seeing elsewhere, we are fortunate that the industry has escaped relatively unscathed. NZPork is not aware of any disruption to processing.

We will be supporting a petition by Frances Clement for imported pork to be required to meet the same animal welfare standards as New Zealand pork. More than 3,000 Kiwis backed the petition, which was presented to Parliament last year.

Almost two thirds of the pork consumed in New Zealand comes from overseas, and it doesn’t have to meet our animal welfare standards.

New Zealand’s pork sector has high welfare standards compared to most other countries with less rigorous welfare and environmental standards, and enforcement regimes.

It’s even more critical because the Government’s draft code of welfare for pigs goes even further beyond the welfare requirements in other countries, endangers the viability of New Zealand’s pork industry and threatens to put the price of local pork out of the reach of many Kiwis.

New Zealand imports pork from a range of countries including Spain, Germany, Poland, Canada, Finland, US, Sweden and Australia and the differences are clear.

New Zealand banned gestation stalls for sows in 2015. Based on the countries supplying about 98% of imported pork last year, all of the European countries (except Sweden), plus Canada, routinely confine sows in gestation stalls for the first four weeks of their pregnancy.

The USA can confine sows in gestation stalls for their whole pregnancy.

Australia comes close to New Zealand’s current standards, given most of their industry is not using gestation stalls, however this is by voluntary agreement rather than a legislated one.

Piglets are routinely castrated in Europe, the USA and Canada. Spain, Poland, and the USA doesn’t use pain relief when this is carried out. It’s only required in Canada if piglets are under 10 days old.

New Zealand pig farmers do not castrate piglets at all. In Australia, castration without pain relief is still permitted if piglets are less than three weeks old. That would be illegal here.

The EU countries and the USA have no limit on the amount of time a sow may be confined in a farrowing crate, either before or after giving birth.

New Zealand has a minimum standard and a regulation that places a limit on the length of confinement in a crate and also describes the spatial requirements of a farrowing crate. Canada allows up to six weeks.

So Sweden is currently the only country with higher standards than New Zealand in some areas.

Sweden only supplied 6% of imported pork last year, so the rest came from countries with lower welfare standards for pigs. The EU is currently reviewing animal welfare standards that may bring them into line with New Zealand, eventually. This is not likely to be the case for Canada or the USA anytime soon.

Exporting countries have a number of other advantages that we don’t – subsidies, significantly lower costs of production, availability of more cost effective feed supplies, a guaranteed minimum price for their product, and some have protected markets so they don’t have imports to compete with.

We know this is a complicated issue, but we want to be part of the solution and work with policy makers and the wider supply chain to come up with a viable solution to address the problem, and ensure that New Zealand grown pork continues to be available.

New Zealand pig farmers deserve a fair go -- it’s time that imported pork is required to meet our high standards and that the Government backs a viable local pork sector that will contribute to providing food security for Kiwi families.