ABOVE: One of the 18 recommendations by the committee was that the Victorian Government recognise the development of the lab-grown meat industry as having the potential to significantly contribute to the Victorian economy.
The following is an edited extract taken from the inquiry into pig welfare in Victoria findings.
The original report in its entirety can be viewed by clicking here.
Chair’s foreword – Georgie Purcell
Pigs are one of the most remarkable animals on the planet.
They are smarter than the dogs we share our hearts and homes with and have a similar cognitive ability to three‑year‑old children.
They can comprehend, remember and empathise.
They are clean, they nurture lifelong friendships and are strongly motivated to care for and protect their young.
They are also one of the world’s most intensively farmed species.
Their strong intellect is undoubtedly linked to their capacity to experience fear, distress and pain.
In recent years, harrowing footage of pigs in Victorian factory farms and slaughterhouses has been released, resulting in increasing alarm from consumers towards the conditions animals are raised to be killed in.
Most recently, world‑first footage was released of the most common stunning method before slaughter, carbon dioxide gassing systems.
It showed pigs being lowered by a gondola into carbon dioxide across three Victorian slaughterhouses.
Despite being described as ‘best practice’ by the industry, the vision showed pigs thrashing and gasping while slowly losing consciousness.
The passion for improved protection for pigs was evidenced by the engagement with this parliamentary inquiry, which received a combined 10,000 submissions and survey responses.
Of those respondents, regardless of whether they consumed pork products or not, there was a consensus that industry and governments can and should do more to improve the lives of pigs in Victoria.
The codes of practice, regulations and legislation that govern pig welfare in Victoria are complex, with many different farms adhering to different levels and standards of care.
A clear theme throughout the inquiry process was concern surrounding self‑regulation.
Despite the pork industry acknowledging pig cruelty and committing to a voluntary phase out of sow stalls by 2017, there are still farms that have not complied.
Without oversight, consumers are misled into purchasing products they might falsely believe are sow stall free.
Another concern to many witnesses who gave evidence were so‑called ‘routine practices’ regularly performed without pain relief, such as teeth clipping, ear notching and tail docking, mostly done on young piglets.
In this report, the committee makes 18 recommendations to improve the welfare and protection of pigs including a complete and permanent ban on sow stalls and farrowing crates.
It calls for mandatory CCTV in farming facilities to be made available for independent auditing and the establishment of an Independent Office of Animal Protection to appropriately and effectively monitor animal welfare.
It acknowledges the inherent cruelty in CO2 systems and recommends research into sustainable alternatives.
As part of the solution to improving the welfare of pigs, this report also recognises the innovation and development of the cultivated meat industry and its potential to provide safe, ethical and environmentally considered food to Victorians.
Many of these recommendations can be incorporated into the government’s new and modernised animal protection laws in the Animal Care and Protection Bill.
I encourage the Victorian Government to take up this legislative opportunity to ensure the plight of pigs is reduced.
As a final remark, it is clear that our growing population and its demand for protein has resulted in farming practices prioritising efficiency and production growth at the expense of animal welfare.
It is imperative upon us all to reconsider our relationship with meat, and more so animals, and the extent of suffering we inflict upon them.
I would like to thank all stakeholders who made high quality and thoughtful submissions and those people who gave their time and expertise appearing before the committee in public hearings to give evidence.
We heard from pig farmers, animal advocates, welfare experts, veterinarians and more.
The evidence received was of a high standard and significantly enhanced the committee’s understanding of this complex issue.
I would also like to thank my committee colleagues for the professional and courteous way they approached the inquiry.
This was a difficult inquiry for many, with strongly held views and different perspectives across committee members.
For the most part, there was a collegiate approach and collaboration.
I greatly appreciate the way the committee members conducted themselves throughout the inquiry.
Piglets in a farrowing crate on a farm in central Victoria. Photo: Farm Transparency Project
Findings and recommendations
Introduction
- Finding 1: While trespass remains a biosecurity risk, there are no recorded incidents within Victoria where animal activists have harmed agricultural biosecurity
- Finding 2: The cultivated meat industry offers a potentially viable, ethical and environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional pork, with the exact molecular composition and taste of traditional pork
- Recommendation 1: That the Victorian Government recognise the development of the lab grown meat industry in Victoria as having the potential to significantly contribute to the Victorian economy.
The regulatory framework
- Finding 3: The pig industry plays a significant role in the development of legally enforceable animal welfare standards, giving rise to the perception that it is self‑regulated
- Finding 4: In light of concerns around the transparency of Victoria’s regulation and audit processes, inspectors under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 (Vic) and Livestock Management Act 2010 (Vic) should be given the power to instigate unannounced and ad‑hoc inspections
- Recommendation 2: That the Victorian Government grant welfare inspectors the power to instigate unannounced and ad‑hoc inspections of facilities
- Finding 5: In conjunction with other work done by the pork industry, mandating closed‑circuit television in processing and farming facilities would increase transparency in the regulation and audit processes
- Recommendation 3: That the Victorian Government impose mandatory closed‑circuit television in all processing and farming facilities to be made available to regulatory bodies for independent audit(s)
- Finding 6: Due to a delay in updating and replacing the national Model Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Animals, the Victorian Standards and Guidelines for the Welfare of Pigs is outdated
- Recommendation 4: That the Victorian Government participate and contribute to updating and replacing the 2008 Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals – Pigs through the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines process
- Finding 7: The decision‑making principles proposed in the Victorian Government’s initial plan for Victoria’s new animal care and protection laws would have improved decision‑making outcomes for animal welfare
- Recommendation 5: That the Victorian Government include decision‑making principles in the new Animal Care and Protection Bill in relation to the development and adoption of animal welfare standards and guidelines in Victoria
- Finding 8: An independent appropriately funded statutory authority has the potential to significantly improve outcomes for farmed pigs in Victoria
- Recommendation 6: That the Victorian Government consider the establishment of an Independent Office of Animal Protection to ensure compliance with animal protection laws, streamline complaints, provide expert, evidence‑based reform and monitor animal welfare conditions within Victoria.
Stunning methods before slaughter
- Finding 9: CO2 gassing as a method of stunning is aversive to pigs who experience high levels of pain and stress
- Recommendation 7: The use of side‑loader (single file) carbon dioxide stunning systems must be phased out to minimise pre‑slaughter stress in pigs
- Recommendation 8: That the Victorian Government work with industry to innovate research and development opportunities to commercially viable alternatives to the use of CO2 in stunning pigs prior to slaughter and report on alternatives with a reporting date no later than May 2026.
Confinement practices
- Recommendation 9: That the Victorian Government mandate reporting on the methods of procurement and extraction of semen from boars, and the frequency of each boar used, the method, dates and frequency of the artificial semination of each sow
- Finding 10: The Victorian pork industry is yet to fully comply with their volunteer phase out of the use of sow stalls, which was set to be completed by 2017
- Finding 11: The committee considers that the voluntary phasing out has not worked and that legislation is required to ensure they are removed from the industry completely
- Recommendation 10: That the Victorian Government legislate a complete ban on the use of sow stalls
- Finding 12: The close confinement and isolation of sows within farrowing crates leads to stress, discomfort, poor muscle development and prohibits maternalistic behaviours
- Finding 13: Evidence presented to the committee indicates that mortality rates in piglets that are confined to farrowing crates are similar compared to those that are pasture raised
- Recommendation 11: That the Victorian Government support farmers to transition to outdoor group housing
- Recommendation 12: That the Victorian Government legislate a complete ban on the use of farrowing crates
- Recommendation 13: That the Victorian Government mandate a complete ban on the use of boar crates, mating stalls and any other restrictive confinement
- Recommendation 14: That the Victorian Government support a national standards framework including enforceable welfare guidelines.
Other welfare issues
- Recommendation 15: That the Victorian Government work with industry to find an alternative to the use of blunt force trauma as a suitable method of piglet euthanasia
- Recommendation 16: That the Victorian Government mandate straw bedding substrate to stimulate natural pig behaviours to prevent injury and abrasion
- Recommendation 17: That the Victorian Government investigate enrichment aids for farmed pigs for inclusion in the Animal Care and Protection Bill
- Finding 14: Biodiverse farm systems and genetic diversity reduce disease spread on pig farms
- Recommendation 18: That the Victorian Government require industry to implement the regular surveillance monitoring and public reporting of antibiotic use on Victorian farms.
What happens next?
There are several stages to a parliamentary inquiry.
The committee conducts the inquiry
This report on the inquiry into pig welfare in Victoria is the result of extensive research and consultation by the Legislative Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee.
The committee received written submissions, spoke with people at public hearings, reviewed research evidence and deliberated over a number of meetings.
Experts, government representatives and individuals expressed their views directly to the committee as members of Parliament.
A Parliamentary committee is not part of the government.
The committee is a group of members of different political parties (including independent members).
Parliament has asked this committee to look closely at an issue and report back.
This process helps Parliament do its work by encouraging public debate and involvement in issues.
The report is presented to Parliament
This report was presented to Parliament and can be found here.
A response from the government
The government has six months to respond in writing to any recommendations made in this report.
The response is public and put on the inquiry page of Parliament’s website when it is received.
In its response, the government indicates whether it supports the Committee’s recommendations.
It can also outline actions it may take.
