Dutch pig farmers petition against rule limiting time sows can be in stalls

Pig producers in the Netherlands are signing a petition against a rule that allows Dutch farmers to keep sows in stalls for only four days. Those signing the petition argue the rule's fairness, as the January 2013 European partial sow stall ban allows European Union producers to keep sows in stalls for four weeks, yet a four-day rule is in effect in the Netherlands.
According to reports from the National Pig Association, a large number of Dutch producers have signed a petition against the four-day rule, and the farming minister is being challenged on the issue in the Netherlands House of Commons.

British pig association will randomly test suppliers

The British pig industry will start checking that pork from illegal European Union farms is not entering the British food chain.
The UK-based National Pig Association's "Exercise Compliance" follows the success of its website Wall of Fame, where the nation's top retailers and brands have pledged not to sell pork or pork products from continental farms that break the European sow stalls ban.
Though given 10 years notice, over 60 percent of EU countries have failed to comply with Europe's sow stalls ban, which was introduced at the beginning of this year. The National Pig Association working with the UK government, is determined to stop pork from these lower-welfare farms being sold to unsuspecting British consumers.
Exercise Compliance will involve selecting imported pork products at random and asking the British companies that sell them to trace them back to their farms of origin — to prove the farms in question really have implemented the stalls ban.
"We believe the British food companies that have made the pledge on our Wall of Fame have conscientiously done what we asked of them: by gaining commitments from their suppliers that only pork from legal farms has been used," said association regions manager Lizzie Press. "But now we want to test those statements by tracing randomly selected packs back to their farms of origin."
The association has already visited the Netherlands with retailer Asda to visit two farms that produce pork for the Asda supply chain. Press added, "Although we visited only a representative sample, it was clear both farms were fully compliant with the sow stalls ban and we were satisfied with the farm standards we observed."
The UK unilaterally banned sow stalls 14 years ago, but the EU did not introduce the ban for all EU farms until January this year — although continental farmers were warned in 2003 of the January 2013 implementation date.
However, the ban is only partial. Although sows can no longer be confined in stalls for most of their productive lives they can still be legally kept in stalls for about 20 percent of the time.
The National Pig Association agrees with Environment Secretary of State Owen Paterson that it is unacceptable that nine member countries have still not fully complied with the European stalls ban. Paterson has praised the association's Wall of Fame campaign, and has promised to continue to press the European Commission for action on law-breakers at every opportunity.
The European Commission has started infraction proceedings against nine countries — Denmark, Poland, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Germany, France Cyprus and Portugal — but it is a long process which can take over a year. "So it remains essential that sourcing continues to be robust and monitored," says the National Pig Association.
The group has already made its random selection of imported products sold by companies that have signed the Wall of Fame pledge and will be sending out letters this week, asking them to carry out a full traceability exercise to confirm the products in question contain only legally produced pork.
"I am sure that the companies that have signed our Wall of Fame are as keen as we are to assure their customers of the traceability of the pork and pork products they import, particularly following the recent horsemeat scandal which has shaken consumer's faith in the food chain," said Lizzie Press.

Canadian grocery store chains pledge stall-free pork by 2022

As consumers become more aware of animal welfare the drive to push the global pig industry to stall-free housing is increasing. Eight major Canadian grocery chains have agreed to sell only stall-free pork by 2022, according to the Canadian Pork Council.
The grocery retail chains in Canada include Safeway, Costco, Federated Co-operatives, Co-op Atlantic, Loblaw Companies, Metro, Sobeys and Walmart. The Canadian Pork Council is looking to work with the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) on Sow Housing as an opportunity for productive dialogue between farmers and retailers.
“As a farmer, my first priority is the care and welfare of the animals. I am proud that my farm helps the Canadian pork industry provide consumers a healthy and safe food supply,” says CPC chair Jean-Guy Vincent. “Any change on farm must be done in a way that protects the welfare of the animals and keeps Canadian farms strong.”
Significant work has been undertaken by the industry in animal care through research, the Animal Care Assessment program and involvement in the National Farm Animal Care Council review of the Code of practice for pigs.
At the same time, the Canadian Pork Council understands that stakeholder expectations are changing.
The conversion to open sow housing is a significant investment which will substantial capital investments be needed to physically change barns but also considerable human resource efforts to choose the right system and train stockpeople to a new way of handing animals.
The CPC looks forward to meeting with RCC to hear its proposals on how changes to sow housing can be managed and how the value chain and others can share in the investment. 

17 EU countries are not sow stall compliant

Only 10 EU member states are now fully compliant with the implementation of the group sow housing rules, while 17 countries continue to flout the law, according to the EU Agriculture Council. Germany, France, Cyprus and Portugal still remain less than 75 percent compliant. Belgium, Greece and Ireland are less than 90 percent compliant. Large-scale pig producers, such as Denmark and the Netherlands still remain a short way off.
As of January 1, 2013 all European Union countries implemented a sow stall ban. Under these new rules, sows and gilts in all holdings with at least 10 sows must be kept in groups during part of their pregnancy.
Overall, 75 percent of the EU’s 13 million sows are held on compliant holdings. Urging non-compliant countries to finalize the implementation of the ban, Member States must provide regular updates of relevant data and Farm Ministers to apply dissuasive sanctions to non-compliant pig producers.
Warnings under infringement proceedings will be distributed at the end of February. With regard to some delegations deploring the unfair competition between compliant
and non-compliant countries. The council opposes any unilateral restrictions on trade of pig meat products from noncompliant countries.

UK pig farmers unite against illegal pork imports

UK pig farmers are challenging all companies selling imported pork and pork products to publically commit that they are not selling illegally-produced meat from farms that are not compliant with European welfare legislation outlawing the prolonged confinement of sow stalls.
The National Pig Association has launched a website Wall-of-Fame-and-Shame which lists companies that have pledged to source imported pork products only from farms that are operating legally.
Most European Union countries have failed to comply with the European Union’s animal welfare directive which from January 1, 2013 bans the prolonged confinement of sows in stalls. Individual sow stalls have been outlawed on British pig units for 14 years. They are so narrow, pigs cannot turn around — all they can do is sit, stand, and lie down. To promote animal welfare, BPEX has launched a Compliant Pork website to provide regular updates on the progress of European countries towards compliance of the partial sow stall ban.
As many as 40,000 pigs an hour are being delivered to continental processing plants from illegally-operated pig farms, according to the National Pig Association’s calculations. “As Britain imports around 60 percent of its processed pork it is inevitable that many consumers are unwittingly supporting this unacceptable European trade in illegally-farmed pigs,” said Dr. Zoe Davies general manager of the National Pig Association. “Shoppers must be told which British retailers and food companies they can trust not to take part in this trade.”
Yorkshire pig farmer John Rowbottom, a member of National Pig Association’s policy-making Producer Group, said, "If Brussels cannot police its own rules, then British pig farmers will have to do the job for them. British consumers are being sold pork products from continental farms that are operating illegally. It’s a gross breach of animal welfare, it is unfair on consumers and it is unfair on British farmers, because it distorts fair trade.”

Restaurant's embracing poultry, pig animal welfare trends

Au Bon Pain, America's café bakery and a leader in the fast casual restaurant category, announced it will become fully cage-free in the supply of eggs for its menu by 2017.
The café chain launched cage-free eggs in 2009, and as of January 2013, 25 percent of its egg sandwich purchases are already cage-free.
The move was one of two decisions announced as the company continues commitments to animal welfare. The other move was to eliminate from its U.S. supply chain pork from animals bred using gestation crates. Specifically, the company says that pork it uses will become 100 percent gestation crate-free also by 2017.
"Animal welfare and humane treatment have been important values to Au Bon Pain and our customers," said CEO Sue Morelli. "Our announcements reflect those values and continue our commitment. Au Bon Pain also is requiring suppliers to outline timelines and steps to achieve these goals."

European Commission plans 249 food safety audits in 2013

The European Commission is planning to conduct 249 food safety audits in 2013, which includes an emphasis on animal health and animal welfare as part of a “farm to fork” approach.
The majority of animal welfare audits cover welfare during transport and the implementation of the Council of Europe requirements for major farmed species. On animal transport, fact-finding missions will identify best practices and focus on certain regional problems (with the aim of achieving real improvements on the ground). Further audits are planned for laying hens and sow stalls.
In 2013, 64 percent of the audits will take place in the European Union. Five percent of audits will take place in candidate countries and 31 percent in other third countries. Taking into account that about one tenth of the audits in the EU deal with Member States' import control systems, overall, controls with respect to third countries' export of feed, food, plants and animals amount to 43 percent of the program.
The Food and Veterinary Office, FVO, also will start a new series on emergency preparedness in 2013 because of lessons learned from the 2011 E. coli outbreak in Germany. The FVO will address contingency planning in the animal feed and food chain, coordination and cooperation between different authorities including public health authorities, traceability of animal feed and food, alert systems and recall procedures.

Eighty percent of EU still pig stall ban non-compliant

Roughly 2 million pigs per week from farms operating illegally will be entering the European food chain once new European Union animal welfare legislation banning sow stalls goes into effect on January 1, 2013, according to Britain's National Pig Association.
Eighty percent of EU countries have not yet complied with the ban, according to data published by Brussels. "As the United Kingdom imports around 60 percent of its pork — much of it as processed food such as ham and bacon — shoppers will need to be very careful about what they choose from supermarket shelves and when eating out in restaurants," said Richard Longthorp, chairman for the National Pig Association.
So far, France is 33 percent compliant with the European stalls ban, Germany is 48 percent compliant and Ireland is 57 percent compliant. Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain are also expected to miss the January 1 deadline for compliance. "The major British supermarkets have promised they will not sell pork from continental farms operating illegally, but our concern is that in many cases these farms will be difficult to identify and everybody admits that imported processed foods will be almost impossible to trace," said National Pig Association general manager Dr. Zoe Davies.

"Our advice to shoppers is always to look for the independent Red Tractor logo on the pack, which is an absolute guarantee that the product comes from a British pig farm where keeping sows in stalls has been banned for over a decade."

Target to eliminate pig gestation crates from supply chain

Retailer Target has said it will eliminate the sow gestation stall housing system from its supply chain by 2022, according to reports.
“Target recognizes this task will involve a large undertaking from our pork product vendors and we will partner closely with our vendors as they work through this transition," said the company.
The Humane Society of the United States has said it supports Target's announcement. “Target’s got gestation crates in its crosshairs and should be commended for working to improve conditions for pigs in its supply chain,” said Matthew Prescott, food policy director for the society. “Americans simply don’t support the lifelong confinement of animals in cages so small they can’t even turn around, and it’s both an ethical decision and good business move for Target to recognize that.”
Similar announcements have recently been made by McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Oscar Mayer, Costco, Safeway and Kroger.

Danish pig industry will be ready for sow stall ban

The Danish pig industry has said that it will be ready for the EU ban on the use of traditional stalls for keeping sows during pregnancy, which goes into effect on January 1, 2013, according to reports.
The most recent estimate indicates that around 85 percent of producers are already keeping pregnant sows in group systems, said Asger Krogsgaard, chairman of the Danish Agriculture and Food Council. Of those who have not yet converted, a significant number are already in the final stages of adapting their production and expected to be compliant by the deadline date for the legislation’s introduction.
"We are almost there,” said Krogsgaard at the Danish Pig Conference. “For many farmers, this has involved considerable investment in updating and modernizing their systems. Undoubtedly, it will add to the costs of production for most of these farmers, but many of us have seen the legislation as part of a much wider process, which is continuously improving welfare standards in our production.
“The Danish authorities already run a program of ‘unannounced audits’ of pig producers to ensure that they are adhering to all welfare legislation," said Krogsgaard. "In addition, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration wrote to all pig herd owners and pig veterinarians to make it clear that any breach of legislation found during their welfare inspection program would be reported to the police. Furthermore, the Danish authorities have made it clear that any producers found not to be complying with the new rules will forfeit their entitlement to support under the EU Single Farm Payment.
“I am confident that as a country, we will ensure that all the requirements of the new legislation are fully met,” he said. 

EU pork production may fall on feed prices, stall ban

Bigger falls in pork production than originally forecast are possible, according to the latest British Pig Executive report looking at the introduction of the partial sow stall ban across Europe on January 1, 2013.
The revision is largely the result of rising feed costs and could lead to a sharp increase in prices for pork and pork products. The report also shows that 18 EU countries say they will be ready for the new sow stall ban legislation, and extrapolates three possible scenarios as a result of the changes:

• A fall in pork production of around five percent from 2011 levels by 2014, leading to price increases but with fairly rapid recovery as productivity improves.
• A sharper fall in production as higher feed prices add to the impact of the stall ban, leading to shortages of pork and substantial price increases, resulting in pressure for political intervention.
• Realignment of production so that breeding is concentrated in North West Europe and finishing in Eastern and Southern Europe, reducing overall production costs.
“It is difficult to say which scenario is most likely, because of the impact of huge feed price rises," said report author Stephen Howarth. "Recent pig price rises in Europe have, to some extent, mitigated the feed price rise, which means scenario one remains the most likely. However, if the high level of EU pig prices isn’t sustained, then scenario two could easily become reality.”
According to BPEX Chairman Stewart Houston, the sow stall ban cannot be taken in isolation. "It is happening at a time when pig producers are under considerable financial pressure due to high feed costs," he said. “Most producers have been left in a loss-making position. The situation is not likely to improve markedly in the immediate future, unless recent pig price rises are sustained, since feed prices are expected to remain high. We are already seeing producers leave the industry, both in the UK and across Europe. This will lead to a fall in production and a consequent rise in prices."

Hillshire Brands to find alternatives to sow-stall use

Hillshire Brands, owner of Hillshire Farms, Ballpark, Jimmy Dean and State Fair meat brands, has announced it is actively engaged in discussions with its suppliers on alternatives to traditional sow gestational housing, and intends to have a solution in place by the end of 2022.
The company's plan is to source all pork from suppliers who use housing that provides the animals the opportunity for adequate movement and comfort, while also ensuring their safety. "Hillshire Brands takes concerns about the welfare of animals seriously, which is why we have a comprehensive Animal Well-Being Program in place," said Mike Cummins, director of corporate communications. "We know we share a responsibility to ensure the meat we sell is safe and that it comes from animals raised in a humane way."

US food distributor sets gestation-stall deadline for pork suppliers

U.S. food distributor Atlantic Premium Brands Ltd. has set a deadline for its pork suppliers to eliminate the use of gestation-sow stalls at 2017, according to reports.
“Atlantic Premium takes animal welfare seriously, and wholeheartedly endorses the transition from gestation crates to group housing for pigs, which is the direction many of our pork suppliers are already moving,” said Thomas Dalton, president and CEO. Three of Atlantic Premium's clients, Kroger, Costco and Safeway, have all previously announced their own plans to give their suppliers a gestation-stall-free deadline.
The Humane Society of the United States said they support Atlantic Premium's goal. “We welcome Atlantic Premium’s work to improve animal welfare in its supply chain, and are glad to see it joining the list of major food companies working with their pork suppliers to end the confinement of pigs in gestation crates,” said Matthew Prescott, Humane Society food policy director. “At a time when so many retailers are rising to the public’s demand for improved treatment of pigs, Atlantic Premium’s commitment is both ethical and a smart business move.”

EU partial sow stall ban could provide boost for adaptable breeders

The forthcoming partial ban on sow stalls in the European Union going into effect on January 1, 2013, could provide a boost in sales for pig breeders with gilts that are already well adapted to the new group housing system, which has been in operation in the UK for more than a decade, according to some companies.
International pig genetics company ACMC said it is expecting sales of its AC1 gilt and grandparent stock to increase substantially in 2013 after the new welfare codes come into force in mainland Europe. “The UK banned sow stalls over a decade ago and many British producers had difficulty adapting to the new system because of fighting, bullying and general aggression among their sows,” said Matthew Curtis, managing director of ACMC. “However, it’s been found that the quiet temperament of the AC1 gilt — which contains genes from the docile and prolific Chinese Meishan breed — means it is well adapted to this system and we have found them easier to mix in group systems than traditional breeds, so they suffer less stress which results in reduced fetal deaths and abortions."
Curtis said that this ability to perform under group-housing systems has already been borne out on mainland Europe, where a 1,000-sow herd belonging to the Taroncher brothers — who farm near Valencia in Spain — are weaning 32.5 pigs per sow per year. The farm is already fully compliant with the new regulations. “It has been suggested that there is increasing interest in selecting pigs for behavioral traits," said Curtis. "Less aggressive finishing pigs convert their feed better because their energy is diverted to growth rather than fighting."

Harris Teeter asking pork suppliers to phase out gestation stalls

Harris Teeter Supermarkets is asking its pork suppliers to phase out the use of gestation sow stalls, though the company has not yet provided a deadline for this action, according to reports.
“Harris Teeter knows that there are better, more humane and more sustainable ways to breed pigs than by using gestation crates," said the company. "It is Harris Teeter’s goal to have a gestation crate-free pork supply, and the company is committed to working with its suppliers…to accomplish that goal within a reasonable and feasible timeframe.”

The Humane Society of the United States has announced its support for the company. “Harris Teeter has demonstrated time after time its commitment to improving animal welfare in its supply chain,” said Matthew Prescott, society food policy director. “Americans don’t want pigs confined in tiny cages so small they can’t even turn around, and Harris Teeter’s work to eliminate that practice is commendable.”

British pig producers urge EU to join on sow stall ban

A failure to fully enforce European pig welfare rules by the 2013 deadline will damage the image of the industry, said National Pig Association Director Stewart Houston at a Copa communications seminar in Brussels, Belgium, on June 25. The UK, he said, enforced a ban on sow stalls in 1999, and the rest of Europe should follow suit by Jan. 1, 2013, or risk tarnishing the reputation of the entire sector.
"In the UK we have battled poor profitability, high feed costs and difficult planning restrictions which have forced many producers out of the industry," said Houston. "It is very important that the reputation of the sector is intact for those that want to continue producing pork."
Latest European Commission figures show three member states are already compliant with the ban on sow stalls, including the UK. Fifteen say they will be compliant by 2013, while five more say they will be at least 90 percent compliant by 2013. Another two will be 70 percent to 90 percent compliant, with two more yet to give figures. "I am very concerned that the EU's excellent work on welfare could be damaged by a handful of countries that fail to enforce these welfare regulations," said Houston. "I cannot over-emphasize the need for European decision makers, member state governments, processors, retailers and producers to work together towards compliance as quickly as possible.
"Further to that, we must ensure any reduction in production as a result of new welfare rules is not filled by imports from countries outside of the EU that produce pork to standards that would be illegal in Europe. By the same token the European market must not be distorted by pork products from non-compliant farms within Europe."

More EU countries to comply with sow stall ban

Eighteen EU member states have announced that they will be fully compliant with the ban on sow stalls by the time the new regulations come in to force on Jan. 1, 2013.
Sow stalls have been illegal in Britain since 1999, but they will not be outlawed in the rest of the EU until the 2013 deadline. The UK has been pressing the European Commission to make sure that the ban is enforced across the EU, ensuring a fairer environment for British pig farmers to compete in. “I promised to push the Commission to be as robust as possible and I welcome the approach they and other member states are taking to improve and enforce welfare standards across Europe," said Britain’s Food and Farming Minister Jim Paice. “It’s a pity that not everyone is going to be compliant by the deadline, but from the perspective of the UK pig industry, all of our main competitors will be.”
The 18 countries are: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the UK. In addition, 95 percent of Austrian holdings are expected to be compliant by the deadline, 93 percent of Finnish holdings, 93 percent of Greek holdings, 94 percent of Polish holdings and 95 percent of Slovenian holdings. 

UK food retailers will honor EU sow stall ban

In the face of the forthcoming EU partial sow stall ban, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2013, Britain’s major food organizations have told the UK government that they will not sell pork and pork products from noncompliant pig farms.
The National Pig Association has said it supports the news, which follows months of campaigning by the British pig industry to prevent pork from noncompliant farms appearing on British supermarket shelves, on restaurant menus and in brand-name products. “It is great news that every organization has confirmed its members will use only meat from legal pig farms,” said National Pig Association Chairman Richard Longthorp at an industry stakeholder meeting with food minister Jim Paice. Among the organizations represented at the meeting were the British Retail Consortium, the Food and Drink Federation, the Provision Trade Federation, the British Hospitality Association, the Danish Agriculture and Food Council and the British Meat Processors Association.
The British Retail Consortium said that it was keen to avoid the sharp price rises that followed the introduction of Europe’s battery cage ban for the poultry industry in January and the National Pig Association said British producers will be ready to prevent unnecessary price rises for consumers by providing any additional pork required — but they will need advance commitment from retailers.
Meanwhile, it is understood that the European Commission fears as many as a third of Continental pig producers will be unable to meet the January 2013 deadline to get sows out of stalls, except for the first four weeks of pregnancy. In Britain, where pig producers conform to higher welfare standards, stalls have been wholly banned for 13 years.
Stewart Houston, chairman of the British Pig Executive, said the industry will now discuss the various pledges that have been made in more detail, to ensure they will be honored.

Survey finds most US pig producers use gestation stalls

A survey released at the 2012 World Pork Expo found that a majority of the U.S. sow herd spends some time in individual housing or gestation stalls. Recently, several large fast-food companies announced they will only use pork from pig operations that are gestation-stall free.
The survey, conducted by University of Missouri extension economist Ron Plain, found that currently only 17.3 percent of sows spend a portion of gestation in open pens. Plain surveyed pork operations with 1,000 or more sows and received responses from 70 operations, which combined about 3.6 million of the nation’s 5.7 million sows.
“Today’s survey shows that these food companies obviously haven’t thought through the complexities, logistics or implications of their requests,” said National Pork Producers Council President R.C. Hunt, a pork producer from Wilson, N.C. “Simply making an announcement without understanding the entire supply chain’s ability to meet these requests or the challenges involved are utterly befuddling. We feel it is important to have this first-hand information available to our customers.”
See a video of Hunt's discussion: Pig industry responds to open sow housing.
The Plain survey found that 20.2 percent of sows on operations of 1,000-9,999 sows, 18.9 percent on operations of 10,000-99,999 sows and 16.4 percent on operations of more than 100,000 sows are in open pens for some portion of gestation. When asked about plans to put more sows in open pens, the largest operations indicated that 23.8 percent of their sows would be in them in two years, operations of 10,000-99,999 sows would have 21.3 of their pigs in such pens and operations of 1,000-9,999 sows would have 20.7 percent.
“Given that few sows always are in open housing and that producers may use both individual and group housing, it would be extremely difficult and costly for the pork supply chain to sort, segregate and trace product to meet the requirements of these food companies,” said Hunt. “Regardless, this issue is about giving animals the best care possible, and hog farmers like me know through years of experience that individual housing provides that best care.”
But it is important to note, according to the NPPC, that an operation may use both individual and open pen, or group, housing and that sows on some operations may spend time in both systems.

EU 2013 sow stall ban already facing challenges

EU plans for a partial ban on sow stalls that would go into effect on January 1, 2013, are already meeting challenges, with only 10 countries likely to be ready for the new rules and some not even able to provide statistics, according to the UK’s farm animal welfare body Compassion in World Farming.
The new law will ban the use of sow stalls for the majority of a sow’s pregnancy. Compassion in World Farming said it understood that the UK is expected to be joined in being fully compliant by Sweden, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Ireland, Germany, Estonia, Denmark, The Czech Republic and Bulgaria. The other 17 member states are still in varying stages of readiness, with Poland among the worst in terms of the number of farms (2,029) expected to be non-compliant when the law goes into effect.
“This should set alarm bells ringing at the [European] Commission and the 17 member states that are not going to comply with the ban," said Peter Stevenson, Compassion in World Farming chief policy advisor. "They need to get hold of the situation very quickly to stop this important step for animal welfare becoming a farce. It’s unacceptable for so many countries to be behind schedule when they have known for a long time that these rules would be coming into force on January 1. They need to take action now, both for the welfare of millions of pigs and to create a fairer market for UK farmers.”
Stevenson said the Commission needs to make it very clear that there will be significant consequences if the non-compliant countries are still not in line by the time 2013 comes around.