The crate divide

The latest attempts to improve pig welfare could be a watershed moment for farming in New Zealand.

- ANDREA GRAVES

‘But bacon tastes goood. Pork chops taste goood.” Who can forget John Tra-volta uttering that line in the classic 90s movie Pulp Fiction – a retort to a character who doesn’t eat pork.

Several religions have rules on pork. But for many Kiwis, giving up bacon is unthinkable – even if the idea takes a hit every few years.

In 2009, TVNZ’s Sunday programme shocked many viewers by exposing the appalling conditions in which some sows were kept. Fronted by former comedian Mike King, it showed pigs held between iron rails, chewing at bars and frothing at the mouth. The backlash was immediate.

Six years later, the World Health Organisation declared that processed meat, which includes bacon, ham and salami, is carcinogenic. Although it made front-page news all over the world, it doesn’t appear to have done long-term damage to sales in this country. According to OECD figures, New Zealanders’ pork consumption grew from 16kg per person in 2009 to about 19kg last year.

Conditions for Kiwi pigs have improved since 2009 — confinement of sows for months on end is now banned. But pork seems poised to take more blows. Like many businesses, pig farmers are facing increased costs due to the war in Ukraine. And some claim that proposals for even higher welfare standards will be the final straw that will force them to quit altogether.

In fact, almost no one seems happy about the latest attempt to improve conditions for pigs. Farmers insist it is untrue that their pigs are unhappy; animal rights groups are convinced profits are still being prioritised over animal welfare; and officials are smarting from being rapped over the knuckles by the High Court for allowing unlawful practices.