What we do to look after our pigs
Ear notching: Ear notching is one of a number
of methods used for the identification of pigs and as such is a
necessary component of farm management. It enables a producer to
quickly identify the pig to monitor its growth rate, health, age
and stage of production.
Teeth clipping: Teeth clipping, like castration
is optional and is a practice carried out to prevent injury to
litter mates and udders of nursing sows.
Tail docking: Tail biting is a common problem
in all production systems and the practice of tail docking is done
as a preventive measure to reduce injuries at a very early age in
the piglet. Not all farms undertake this husbandry practice.
Castration: Australia is one of the few
countries that does not routinely castrate all male pigs. In some
situations, castration is a necessary management practice for
production to meet specific market requirements. Castration
prevents the meat developing a number of undesirable flavour and
odour characteristics that are rejected by consumers. Pigs that are
not castrated are sent to market before they reach sexual
maturity.
Diet: Australian pigs are fed specially
designed grain based rations. To ensure a balanced diet, farmers
include vitamins and mineral supplements in the pig's diet.
Antibiotics and hormones: Product safety and
animal welfare are very high priorities for Australian pig farmers.
All veterinary medicines registered for use in pigs are thoroughly
evaluated by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine
Authority (APVMA) as part of the registration process. APVMA
standards are amongst the highest in the world.
While antibiotics have been an important management tool in
livestock husbandry, there have been significant moves to minimise
the use of antibiotics in Australian pork production.
The joint industry/government PigPass system includes the
PigPass national vendor declaration (NVD) which requires producers
to declare whether or not pigs treated with veterinary medicines
are within a Withholding period (WHPs - setdown by state
legislators) or export slaughter intervals (ESIs - interim ESIs
have been established by the Australian Quarantine Inspection
Service as part of the export certification process).
ESIs refer to the period following treatment when pigs are
unsuitable for export processing. ESIs ensure export market
requirements are met. WHPs refer to the periods following treatment
when pigs are unsuitable for processing for domestic
consumption.
Top of Page