#1 - john pagey 2009-05-19 16:00 - (Reply)

otagoboy #101 11:21 pm May 18 2009 Watching the interview i wasn't surprised at the conditions ive seen. i haved lived next to a INTENSIVELY FARMED piggery for half my life and the truth is that the general public DO NOT know a lot about pig farming, they don't know what happends inside and will find it very hard to get inside one without the help of groups like SAFE. this is because pig farmers are a very secretive sort. NO way will you get a tour through the piggeries that have sow stalls and farrowing crates. If your lucky to get a look at a piggery expect to get shown happy little pigs, happily playing that have ben cleaned and have had everything around them cleaned to the farmers "usual standards" (you should see the real standards). this is all because piggeries are places of money (they make more than dairy), animal welfare is not key and really only cost them money. the likes of the pork board chairman and the Ag minister downplaying the situation and saying "I didnt know" or "this dosnt represent NZ pork" is appauling. they both should well know what goes on, esspecially MR. chairman of NZ pork. I beleive Mike King did the right thing to break into a piggery in a disclosed location (i can name a few!!!) and video and experience the smell and noise and the reality of INTENSIVE pig farming. unfortunately that site was a good one. there are many worse and plenty more of them. INTENSIVE pig farmers should be ashamed (thumbs up to outdoor farmers), dont you have a heart, look the pigs in the eye. What do you see? an empty space of nothing. do something about it. and something needs to be done about the current RMA and animal well-fare laws surrounding intensive piggeries, they are not right and should go against most peoples morals!