Pig welfare changes from 1 January 2013
From the 1 January 2013 the following changes will come into force. It’s important to take the time to familiarise yourself with the changes in order to meet the regulations.England
From the 1 January 2013, all pig holdings in England will need to meet the provisions of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 (WOFAR). Previously this only applied to newly built or re-built premises.WOFAR implements the EU pig welfare directive which lays down minimum standards for the protection of pigs.
The provisions include:
- For concrete slatted floors – maximum slot widths and minimum slat widths.
- For sows and gilts, minimum lengths specified for the sides of pens.
- For sows and gilts, minimum unobstructed floor area and dimensions for solid floors.
The welfare standards as set out in the Pig welfare directive form part of cross-compliance regulations.
Wales
Producers will be required to implement the following provisions by 1 January 2013:- Provisions for concrete slatted floors – maximum width of openings and minimum
slat widths (10 pigs or more) - For sows and gilts, the length of the sides of pens (10 pigs or more)
- For sows and gilts, minimum unobstructed floor area and dimensions for solid floor.
- The need for all sows and gilts to have permanent access to manipulable (enrichment) material. (Applies to all pig producers).
- To enable proper investigation and manipulation activities, all pigs must have permanent access to a sufficient quantity of material such as straw, hay, wood, sawdust, mushroom compost, peat or a mixture of such which does not adversely
affect the health of the animals.