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 Foto: Copyright B. J. Støt filmen MAD A/S!  Foto: Copyright S.H. Underskrifter mod Landbrugsloven  Foto: Copyright C. L. Advarsel mod køb af indsmuglede hvalpe  Foto: Copyright S. H. Læs breve fra os  Foto: Copyright B. R. Deltag i høringer! |
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Illegal pig farming conditions exposed in new EU investigation Den engelske dyreværnsorganisation Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) udsendte den 21. januar 2010 en pressemeddelelse om en ny undersøgelse af forholdene for grise i europæiske, intensive besætninger - også danske. CIWF kalder forholdene i staldene for "en skandale".
Gennem 18 måneder gennemførte CIWF undersøgelser ved hjælp af undercover-optagelser i 74 svinebesætninger i seks af EU's medlemslande: Danmark, Ungarn, Tyskland, Spanien, Holland og England. I Danmark besøgte CIWF 14 danske svinestalde. Overalt fandt organisationen elendighed og lovbrud. På CIWF's film ser man bl.a. trange bokse, stressede dyr, som har udviklet stereotypier (dyrene foretager de samme bevægelser igen og igen) og systematisk kupering af smågrisenes haler. Det er forbudt. Dyrene bider hinanden i halerne bl.a. på grund af tidlig fravænning, pladsmangel, stress og mangel på rodemateriale. Stort set alle danske landmænd klipper halerne af grisene i forsøget på at forhindre kannibalisme. Landmændene kunne give dyrene bedre forhold, men vælger altså den ulovlige løsning, hvilket bl.a. blev kendt, da formanden for de Danske Svineproducenter i 2004 anbefalede medlemmerne at klippe halerne af grisene. Men også grise, som allerede har fået klippet halerne af, kan finde på at tygge i andre grises halestumper. Fødevarestyrelsen, som hører under Fødevareministeriet, varetager kontrol af lovgivning om halekupering. Ved kontrolbesøg i besætningerne har Fødevarestyrelsen ikke reageret ved at give indskærpelser eller anmelde det til politiet, fremgår det af Fødevarestyrelsens kontrolrapport for 2008. Selve lovgivningen om halekupering hører hjemme i Justitsministeriet, som oplyser til os, at Justitsministeriets arbejdsgruppe om hold af svin også har grisehaler som emne. En samlet rapport fra denne arbejdsgruppe forventes offentliggjort i 2010. Læs pressemeddelelsen fra Compassion in World Farming her: Illegal pig farming conditions exposed in new EU investigation An undercover investigation – together with a report by the European Food Safety Authority – suggests that the vast majority of the 250 million pigs reared each year in the EU are being farmed in illegal conditions. The investigation’s findings – including a film – will be launched at a Press Conference at 10:00 on Thursday 21 January at the Residence Palace in Brussels organised by the investigators - Compassion in World Farming (Compassion) and the European Coalition for Farm Animals (ECFA). In 2003 tough new EU legislation designed to improve pig welfare came into force. The law requires pigs to be given enrichment materials such as straw so that they can engage in their natural behaviour of rooting, foraging and exploring. The law also bans the routine cutting off (docking) of the tail – it stipulates that farmers must not use routine tail docking to prevent tail biting but must instead keep the pigs in good conditions. In December 2007 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a report showing that - despite the ban on routine tail docking - over 90% of EU pigs were still being tail docked. Compassion and ECFA decided to find out for themselves if the new rules were working. During an 18 month undercover investigation starting in 2008 Compassion and ECFA visited 74 pig farms in six Member States: Denmark, Hungary, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK. The study, coupled with the EFSA report, provides a snapshot of pig farming across Europe. The investigation found that the new laws were being flouted in the vast majority of the farms we visited. This reflects EFSA’s finding that 90% of pigs reared in the EU are taildocked and 67% are housed in fully slatted systems where it is almost impossible to provide effective enrichment materials. The investigation, together with EFSA’s report, suggests that the vast majority of Europe’s pigs are being reared in breach of EU animal welfare rules. Despite the new laws, most of Europe’s pigs are still farmed industrially in conditions of utter deprivation. They are packed into overcrowded, barren pens without straw or any other enrichment materials. Nearly all are tail docked. Based on the investigation and the EFSA report, Compassion and ECFA have made Formal Complaints for failure to enforce EU law to the European Commission against Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Hungary and Denmark. Chief Policy Advisor for Compassion in World Farming, Peter Stevenson said; “It’s a scandal that, seven years after the new laws came into force, they are still being ignored by most of Europe’s pig farmers. Pigs are inquisitive intelligent animals, with a real zest for life – it is both illegal and inhumane to keep them in barren factory farms where there is simply nothing for them to do. We call on Member States to enforce the law that requires pigs to be given enrichment materials such as straw and that bans routine tail docking.” Peter Stevenson added: “Consumers can help by only buying pork, bacon and ham that is free range, organic or reared under a high welfare scheme such as Thierry Schweitzer in France, Neuland in Germany or Freedom Food in the UK.”
Nearly all the breeding sows seen during the investigation were confined in sow stalls during their pregnancy (though not in the UK where stalls are banned). In the EU most sows are kept confined in sow stalls and then moved to farrowing crates to give birth; they then remain in these crates for 3-4 weeks until their piglets are weaned. These stalls and crates are so narrow that the sow cannot even turn round. Sow stalls will be illegal EU-wide from 2013 though even then farmers will be able to use them for the first four weeks of each pregnancy. So, even after 2013 many of Europe’s sows will spend almost 20 weeks of each year in stalls and crates so narrow that they cannot turn round. Notes Background to the law: In natural conditions pigs spend 75% of their daylight hours in activity - rooting, foraging and investigating their world. None of these behaviours are possible in the barren world of industrial farming. Bored and frustrated, they turn to the only thing in their pens – the tails of other pigs. They begin to bite these tails. To prevent this, farmers slice off part of the tail. Scientific research shows that the correct way to prevent tail biting is to keep the pigs in good conditions, above all to give them straw or similar material that they can chew and investigate. That is why EU law prohibits routine tail docking and requires pigs to be given enrichment such as straw. More about pig welfare in Europe: Download Compassion in World Farming’s report Welfare of pigs in the European Union 2009. Contact: For broadcast quality film footage and photos, contact Rebecca Deeny + 44 (0)1483 521973, + 44 (0)7771 926005 or press@ciwf.org Film og tekst: Læs artiklen "Investigation exposes illegal practices on EU pig farms" og se filmen: Pig farm investigation by Compassion in World Farming Compassion in World Farming Compassion in World Farming is the leading international farm animal welfare NGO. Our aim is to end the suffering of farm animals and promote farming systems which are beneficial to animals, people and the planet. Compassion leads the European Coalition for Farm Animals (ECFA), which comprises 39 animal welfare organisations in 25 EU Member States as well as in Norway, Switzerland and Israel. In addition, Compassion has representatives in China, India and South Africa. Læs også Fødevarestyrelsen: Status for kontrol i 2008 Tegn på rutinemæssig brug af antibiotika til svin Resistente stafylokokker fra svin bekymrer Høringssvar om kastration uden bedøvelse Høringssvar om skuldersår hos søer Bedre start på griseliv i ny stitype Aktive Dyrerettigheder forkaster lovforslag Økologer om grisehaler: Dyrevelfærd kræver ikke lovbrud 9. februar 2010. Aktive Dyrerettigheder |
