Pig Welfare

Thank you for contacting me about the welfare of pigs. 
 
British agriculture has among the highest welfare standards in the world and all livestock farms must comply with comprehensive environmental and animal welfare legislation. I am pleased that a new code of practice for the welfare of pigs has now been published which uses the latest scientific and veterinary advice to safeguard and enhance welfare standards. I urge all farmers and those in the industry to take full heed of it. 
 
The Government cares very much about animal welfare and is currently examining the evidence around the use of cages for farm animals in order to consider the options. Ministers have also committed to continuing to focus on maintaining world-leading farm animal welfare standards through both regulatory requirements and statutory codes. 
 
Ministers have been clear that it is their ambition that farrowing crates should no longer be used for sows. Indeed, the new pig welfare code clearly states that “the aim is for farrowing crates to no longer be necessary and for any new system to protect the welfare of the sow, as well as her piglets.”  
 
It is important that we make progress towards a system that both works commercially and safeguards the welfare of the sow and her piglets, and that we do so as quickly as possible. I am pleased to confirm the UK is already ahead of most pig producing countries in terms of non-confinement farrowing, with around 40 per cent of our pigs housed outside and not farrowed with crates. This being said, I will of course listen closely to what my colleague, Sir David Amess MP, has to say on this subject when he brings forward his Ten Minute Rule Bill. 
 
This Government has set itself a challenging agenda of animal welfare issues that it will tackle and is taking action on many fronts to improve the health and wellbeing of farm animals. A major example is the commitment to end excessively long journeys for live animals going for slaughter and for fattening. Our country’s high animal welfare standards are something to be proud of and will continuously be maintained and improved.  
 
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.