Pig Welfare
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National Legislation
The welfare of pigs is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 under which it is an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal.
These general requirements are supplemented by detailed requirements set out in the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007 No 2078). These Regulations replaced the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2000 (as amended) on 1st October 2007. The new Regulations are made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Europe
Council Directive 2001/88/EC and Commission Directive 2001/93/EC, which were adopted in October 2001 amend Directive 91/630/EC which lays down minimum standards for the welfare of pigs. The Directives came into effect in all Member States on 1 January 2003.
The key provisions of the Regulations on pig welfare are:
- That all pigs must have permanent access to manipulable materials
- Minimum space allowances for sows and gilts
- An increase in the minimum weaning age from 21 to 28 days
The pig welfare Directives are due to be reviewed in 2008.
Sow stalls
Close-confinement stalls for breeding sows have been banned in the UK since 1 January 1999. One of the main provisions of EU Directive 2001/88/EC is an EU-wide ban on sow stalls to come fully into force by 1 January 2013.
Further information:
The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/uksi_20072078_en_1
Welfare Code for pigs:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/farmed/pigs/pigcode.pdf