MAF clears piggery at centre of media row

A Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry investigator says a piggery belonging to a former pork industry board chairman did not break any animal welfare laws.

In fact, the veterinarian called in by MAF said the piggery was well managed, with high standards of animal husbandry and stockmanship.

"Animal health and well-being are given high priority as fundamental to achieving performance outcomes," said the veterinarian, whose name was not included in the report.

MAF recommended that as no offences had been observed or disclosed "the matter should therefore be closed".

He said in the formal report released today by the MAF enforcement directorate: "While the present tone of public sentiment may be strongly disapproving of intensively housed and reared pigs, the fact is that I found no evidence on this property of non compliance with, or breaches of, the animal welfare (pigs) code ... in its current form.

This is in line with comment made by MAF investigations manager Greg Reid on May 20 that the ministry could only take action if specific animals were suffering unnecessarily or if the pigs had untreated diseases, but he expected the case to trigger a review of regulations for operating pig farms.

The farm was also investigated three years ago, when technical breaches in the dimensions of some sow stalls were identified. Those had been fixed or closed off at the time.

Animal welfare activists calling themselves Open Rescue critical of the use of farrowing stalls for pregnant pigs, broke into the Levin farm -- belonging to former New Zealand Pork Industry Board chairman Colin Kay -- on April 19. They were accompanied by comedian Mike King, who used to front for the pork industry.

They handed a television current affairs programme footage which Mr King said showed some pigs were unable to move and obviously in distress, chewing at the cage bars and frothing. It screened on May 17.

Prime Minister John Key said he found the television footage "very, very disturbing".

MAF animal welfare inspectors, and the independent vet and pig expert, visited the 240-sow farm for about two-and-a-half hours.

An inspector noted on his job sheet only three or four sows were exhibiting "anything close" to the behaviour described on TV as frothing at the mouth: "I would have described this as salivation".

The investigator said Mr Kay suggested someone entered the pig shed before it was filmed by the activists, and excited the pigs, possibly with feed. This was rejected by an activist familiar with the filming. The activist said low-wattage lights and quiet voices were used during the break-in to avoid distressing animals.

Jockey Jensen, director of MAF's enforcement arm, said Mr Kay had chosen not to report the break-in to police and "it is outside MAF's mandate to make further comment as to the rights and wrongs of this decision".

Publicity over the break-in sparked widespread debate, with a big bacon supplier, Hellers Tasty Ltd rushing to say the conditions shown on TV were representative of the industry.

The Green Party said the programme had "lifted the petticoats" on the pork industry, and Agriculture Minister David Carter called for a review of the welfare code for pigs to be the top priority for the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee.

Mr Carter said he wanted to issue a new welfare code for pigs by the end of the year.