Safe scraps for your pig

Whether driven by a desire to cut down on the grocery bill or a wish for better input into how food is produced, Kiwis all around the country are raising pigs destined for the freezer.

The reality is that pigs are hungry beasts. A pig can eat up to 3.5kg of food in one day, so to cut back on costs many lifestyle pig-owners try to find a local supplier of food scraps to feed their animals.

Lifestyle farmer Todd Haswell says: "We don't have to buy the pigs much in terms of pellets, because we've got a great set-up with the local vege shop that gives us their scraps two days a week.

"They give us all sorts of stuff. Leaves from the outside of lettuces, stuff that's starting to get rot marks or going a bit floppy, tomatoes that are not good enough to sell in the shop."

Though food scraps can make up part of a pig's balanced daily diet, Ministry for Primary Industries manager of animal import and export Howard Pharo says it's important for pig-owners to understand the rules that apply to feeding their animals food scraps.

"In a nutshell, the rules prohibit feeding pigs with any scraps that contain, or have come into contact with, meat - unless the scraps have been heated to 100C for at least one hour," he says.

"These rules are in place to help prevent the spread of important exotic epidemic diseases - such as foot-and-mouth disease and the swine fevers - if they were ever introduced into New Zealand."

The Biosecurity (Meat and Food Waste for Pigs) Regulations 2005 says: "All food waste that contains, or has come into contact with, meat must be treated before it is fed to pigs by heating it to 100C for one hour. This requirement applies to commercial as well as household food waste."

Food waste you know to be meat-free, and that has not come into contact with meat, can be fed to pigs without treatment.

A supplier of food waste is required to ensure untreated meat or untreated food waste containing meat is not fed to pigs - either by heat-treating it themselves or by being satisfied the person it is supplied to will do so.

Feeding food waste that doesn't comply with the rules to pigs, or allowing such food waste to be fed, is an offence that can land individuals a fine of up to $5000, while corporations can be fined up to $15,000.

The rules apply to pet pigs and those destined for the dinner table. See Biosecurity.govt.nz/foodwaste for more information.

NZ Pork says pig farmers should understand New Zealand's animal-welfare law requires that animals are provided with proper food and water each day, and this means pigs need to be fed a balanced diet daily - not just scraps on an ad hoc basis.

See Nzpork.co.nz for more about feeding and nutrition.