Commerce Commission agrees PigCare label is misleading

Following our complaint in 2016 to the Commerce  Commission, and then many more from members of the public, NZ Pork have  been told to change their PigCare label. The investigation found the  label may be in breach of the Fair Trading Act and a compliance letter  was issued. Be warned though, despite the compliance letter and advice,  the animal welfare requirements for PigCare do not go beyond the lowest  standards for the treatment of pigs required by law.

Consumer NZ have reported on the Commerce Commission investigation, noting that PigCare allows  the use of farrowing crates. Farrowing crates are cages the pork  industry puts mother pigs in, just before giving birth. The pigs are  confined for close to five weeks, two to three times a year while  nursing their babies.

“The Commerce Commission finding that the PigCare label needed to be  changed to ensure it wasn’t breaching the Fair Trading Act is a good  result. PigCare allows mother pigs to be kept in cages that prevent them  from even turning around, and those being fattened for meat confined in  dark, crowded pens, never to see the light of day until they are sent  to be killed. The way pigs are farmed is appalling.” says SAFE Campaigns  and Policy Officer Stephen Manson.

A Christchurch PigCare accredited farm was investigated in 2013 and the shocking treatment of the animals was visually documented.  Significant non-compliance with the pig code of welfare was found when  MPI followed up on the evidence. Some pigs were suffering so much they  had to be killed immediately. A follow-up investigation a year later  found even worse conditions on the same farm. These exposés caused  widespread public outrage.

As well as this, over half of the pork in NZ is imported with no  restrictions on welfare grounds. The best thing people that care about  animals, and are concerned about pig welfare, can do is to choose to  avoid pig products. As an alternative, you can try one of the many great  recipes here.

Take Action

• Urge the government to ban farrowing crates.