All For The Pigs

Saturday 26th July!!! Hopefully a day that helps to turn the tide for the caged pigs in New Zealand.  (I wrote about this in a previous blog - link).

The month of July has been a month of campaigning by members of SAFE around the country getting as many signatures as possible on a "Say No To Intensive Pig Farming in N.Z." petition.  This was kicked off with a documentary which aired on national television (See here for the Sunday Program) which was an expose on pig farming.  The following week was a further follow up program which, again, highlighted the plight of piggies, this time showing the abuse of piglets and a sow all taken with a hidden camera by Farm Watch on a different, randomly pick farm.

But, getting back to Saturday the 26th July.  SAFE organized protests and rallies in the main cities in both the North and South Island, with smaller centers getting on-board with petition signings and even a bake stall in one area.

In Tauranga, where I live, we had a signature drive in the Mount Maunganui area.  The sun was shining and the people were out walking the beach, having their cappuccinos, climbing the Mount or just enjoying the sun.  With 7 members of SAFE (two dressed in the piggy costumes) mingling among them, within a couple of hours we had filled over 25 sheets of the petition pages - well done Tauranga!!!

The majority of people were so ready to sign and most knew what the issue was without being told - wonderful!  One young woman I spoke to, who is from Holland, is totally disgusted with the way we treat our animals here.  She told me that Holland has banned all cages for any animal and that if they can do it with way more population and less space, then so can we in N.Z. - I totally agree with her.

I do have a really special THANK YOU to the Mount Pharmacy (Find them on FaceBook) - two wonderful women who gladly signed the petition...but that's not all, the owner then slipped away and came back with the most awesome little piggy keyring!!!  Her way of saying thank you for the work SAFE does. - That small gesture just blew me away

If you're at Mount Maunganui, need a pharmacy, please go there .... in fact, even if you don't need a pharmacy, just go in and say hi anyway - they are pure magic!

Thanks to everyone, volunteers and public, who made this such a powerful day - let's hope we see some difference for the darling pigs.

Whoa - What an Expose on Pig Farming!

The Sunday program on last night really did a bit of a shake up and has, no doubt, been a wake up call to those who insist on eating pork products.

And, for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, it was a glimpse into the unseen hell of the factory farmed pigs here in good old, clean, green New Zealand.

 Here's the link to the actual program:  http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/shocking-footage-stirs-up-pork-label-criticism-6014397 - be warned, some scenes you may find disturbing .... well, actually sickening!

I've just come off a GoVeg (supporting vegetarian/vegan) stall at a Food Festival and I even had an ethical butcher ask if I knew where they could source free range pork.  Yes, I thought it odd that the butcher would ask an animal welfare, obviously vegan, person where to source meat product.  But this butcher is asked many many times for free range pork and can't supply it and he is totally frustrated at not being able to get it.

We do have free range pork here in N.Z., but, as far as I know, only two farms.  All other pork is farmed in intense factory farms most of which are still using the sow crates for the first 4 weeks of the pregnancy and the farrowing crates to birth and suckle the piglets. 

The sow crates are to be phased out by 2015, however farrowing crates are still allowed.  If you're a piggy lover and don't like the thought of mum pig being caged to give birth and look after her babies and where she can lie down, but can't turn around ..... then please sign the petition to end the use of farrowing crates.  https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/prime-minster-john-key-ban-farrowing-crates

This is how it's done:

Free Range Pigs in N.Z.?

A few weeks ago I was on a SAFE stall which had on display a pig in a sow crate. 

This, as you can imagine, stimulated a lot of discussion and helped to raise awareness of how we are still factory farming in this country.  However, one man in particular was on the side of the pig farmer saying that the crates and small stalls were necessary as N.Z. pig farmers must farm intensely in order to make a living.  His argument was that the price of imported pork made it impossible to compete in the local market if the farmer wasn't able to use these (barbaric) practices.

He maintained that the pig farmer would like nothing more than to have his pigs living in better conditions, but he is unable to do this if he wishes to keep the price of pork at a low level.  And should we deny low income families from having N.Z. pork on their table?
Note: I've heard this argument before not only with meat but with eggs as well.

Let's be straight here before I continue.  I am vegan and wish that the world was also.  I do not support any farming methods as I do not support the slaughter or exploitation of animals. However, I'm also very much a realist and understand that people will continue to want meat on their menu for some time to come.

What I do contend is that we have been pushed into eating more meat and poultry by the food industry and the argument that the meat, dairy and poultry industries are only meeting consumer demand is total garbage.  It was these industries that started the "need".

Why can't we go back to making pork a luxury item as it was when I was a kid?  Stop importing the pork from overseas especially as we have no idea how it has been farmed and I'm guessing it will be just as bad if not worse that we have here in N.Z.

Let the pig farmer get top dollar for his meat and allow him a decent profit to put back into his farm.  Less demand would take the pressure off the farmer to intensify his numbers but rather to go for the free range style of farming.  At least the pig will have some sort of decent life before the horrendous end comes.

This is taken from the site Pig Farming in N.Z.  talking about free range:  Pigs require special conditions, such as firm soil and a mild climate if they are to be raised in this style. Farming this way requires a greater number of staff, as pigs are exposed to all the elements and need constant care and attention. This is why most farmers using this style are smaller farms, with a small number of pigs. 1% of pigs farmed in NZ are farmed like this. 
So I doubt if I'll see any change in the near future.

We are a primary producing country.  I am hoping that in my lifetime I will see the intensity of farming diminish, an intense program of vegan education and making meat the luxury item rather than the "norm".  If we can get to that stage before I shuffle off this earth, I'll be happier than if the reverse happens.

Have Happy Animal Friends

Fee
website:  www.thevegetariancenter.com