Pig farms in Bay under microscope

The massive national outcry over intensive pig farming this week has led to a Tauranga animal welfare group starting its own investigation into local farms.
The recently formed Tauranga branch of SAFE will be looking into every local pig farm and exposing those that farm in the same methods depicted on TVNZ's Sunday programme last weekend.
Dr Michael Morris, the co-ordinator of the group, said the chair of the New Zealand Pork Board was incorrect in his statements about the degree to which intensive pig farming existed in the country. "For 20 years, we have been seeing how cruel the farming of pigs and chickens is. Now it has been put out there. I'm excited about the way things are going."
The Tauranga branch of SAFE came into existence at the end of last year and already has eight members. Following the images of pigs in small cages made public, Dr Morris had received numerous inquiries from people wanting to get involved.
With a background in animal zoology, Dr Morris would not say how he planned to investigate the farms but said part of SAFE's ideology was to not break the law.
Dr Morris said as well as the ethical issue, he knew of high-intensity farmers who were not properly treating the sewerage of the pigs. "A farm of 10,000 pigs produces as much sewerage as a city of 20,000 people."
However, rather than treating the sewerage before disposing of it, it was poured over the fields - against regulations.

In the meantime, the best way for the public to stop the unethical treatment of pigs was to not eat pork, he said, speaking as a vegetarian of 25 years.
Meanwhile, only two piggeries are left in the Western Bay of Plenty that are operated in a manner that needs air and liquid discharge consents from Environment Bay of Plenty.
The council's pollution prevention team leader, Steve Pickles, said the consents were for Morepork Farm in Rangiuru Rd, Te Puke, and Jeffco International in Youngson Rd.
Mr Pickles said both piggeries were complying with their consents at the last visits. Jeffco indicated at the last inspection that they intended closing the piggery and it may now have ceased operating.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council's compliance manager, Graeme Troy, was not aware of any intensive pig farms left in the Western Bay that used sow crates.

Morepork Farm's owner, Ian Schultz, said his pig farm was a free-range farm that used deep-litter eco pens. He said the big shed was divided into large pens for group housing, with typically 12 to 20 pigs in a group.
The group stayed together in these dry cells, developing a hierarchical structure in which they were mated at the same and farrowed (gave birth) at the same time.

Mr Schultz said he was careful about his animal husbandry because treating pigs well made them more productive. Pigs needed to be well-fed, well-housed, disease-free and not stressed. He welcomed a farm inspection. farm.