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Get your free copy03 January 2013, 16:32 PM
- An EU-wide ban on the use of sow stalls has come into effect at the start of 2013, although many countries will be ignoring the legislation
Britain’s National Pig Association (NPA) has said that up to 40% of European pigs will now come from farms that are flouting the animal welfare rules.
Over three quarters of European Union countries have not yet complied with the ban, including Ireland, where only 57% of farms are legal.
The stalls confine sows in individual metal cages, and is generally regarded as cruel.
Richard Longthorp, chairman of the NPA, said, “We have been pressuring Brussels for more than a year to take measures to protect European consumers from illegally produced pigmeat. Its stock response has always been that it could do nothing until January 1, 2013. Well, that date is now upon us and it needs to act urgently to have any chance of keeping its integrity intact.”
He added that some of the countries simply do not have the resources to identify the farms which are breaking the laws.
Sow stalls have not been used in the UK for many years, but our reliance on pork imports means it is possible that illegal meat will enter the British market.
