SPCA New Zealand - Animal Welfare Certified
Improving animal welfare for pigs
According to NZ Pork, approximately 621,000 pigs are commercially farmed in New Zealand each year. The Code of Welfare for Pigs sets out minimum standards for the care of pigs in all farming systems.
SPCA Certified has animal welfare standards for pigs that are free-range or free-farmed, and which exceed the minimum legal requirements laid out in the Code of Welfare.
When you see the SPCA Certified blue badge, you can be confident of better animal welfare for pigs.
SPCA Certified works to continuously improve farmed animal welfare by holding farming businesses to a higher standard of care than legally required. Importantly, it is not just about minimising negative experiences, but also about providing opportunities for positive experiences.
Our standards for pigs ensure that animals are provided with clean, dry, and comfortable bedding for resting and nest-building before giving birth, and with environmental enrichment to promote the expression of normal behaviours, such as exploring, foraging and manipulating, and to avoid undesirable behaviours, such as tail biting. Importantly, the use of sow stalls and crates is prohibited under the Certified standards.
We also require pig farmers to have an animal health plan that is kept up to date with a local veterinarian. In addition, farms are audited at least twice a year, with at least one unannounced audit, to ensure that standards are adhered to. Under the Code of Welfare, animal welfare audits are not required.What does life look like for pigs under SPCA Certified?
At SPCA Certified we believe in making it easier for consumers to know what they are buying. The infographic below compares welfare requirements for pigs under the Code of Welfare and SPCA Certified standards. See how our standards compare to the legal minimum in terms of pig health and behaviour, environment, and consumer assurances, promoting higher animal welfare for pigs.
