Tag Archives: Policy

Report good practices for rearing pigs with intact tails

Policy, Tail docking, , , ,

Report identifies good practices for rearing pigs with intact tails

DG Health and Food Safety – European Commission
A new report provides evidence that there are solutions to counter the commonly held belief that rearing pigs and avoiding tail docking is impossible.

Based on visits to three countries where tail docking is not performed routinely, it summarises good practices to rear pigs with intact tails. It finds that the key to do so is to lower stress levels through active management of enrichment materials; feed and air quality; reduction of competition between animals; and good animal health status. Another key factor to ensure intact tails is that farmers rapidly identify tail biters and remove them to prevent the escalation of tail biting.

The report can be found here…

Reducing mutilations in the European Union

Pigs, Tail docking, , ,

A study on reducing the number of mutilations on animals within the European Union
By Sanne van Zanen (Student Wageningen University, email: sanne . vanzanen @ wur . nl)
Commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Netherlands

Abstract

This study has gathered information about the possibilities to reduce the number of mutilations throughout the European Union. It has focused on surgical castration of male pigs, tail docking of pigs and beak trimming of laying hens. According to literature, these mutilations have received most attention in the European Union. Furthermore, in most of the European member states these mutilations are frequently carried out. The study is performed by a graduate student of Wageningen University and commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The conclusions of this study do not necessary reflect the official opinion of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

This study started off with a desk research that sketched the concept of animal welfare across the European Union. A framework of factors that influence the importance attached to animal welfare resulted from this research and was used to clarify the results of the two additional studies within the broad concept of animal welfare across the European Union. The two additional studies that were performed are a literature study and a questionnaire. The literature study has focused on retrieving in-depth information on the current situation of the member states regarding the three mutilations. The questionnaire was set up to get insights into which actions have the greatest chance of success and what are the biggest obstacles in reducing the number of mutilations in animals. The questionnaire was spread, by means of an introducing email, to scientific researchers, veterinarians, policy
makers/officers, NGO’s, employees in a slaughterhouse, farmers and students across the European Union. In total 130 respondents filled out questions about at least one of the three mutilations across 16 member states (Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece, Luxembourg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania and Slovenia have not taken part in the questionnaire).

United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and Portugal nearly raise all their pigs as entire boars. In contrast to these countries, surgical castration of male pigs is the most desired option for the Italian pig market (and parts of the Spanish and Portuguese pig production). This is due to the restrictions imposed by the Parma ham industry (slaughtering pigs at
heavy weights). Consequently, the restrictions imposed by the Parma Industry and the sensitivity for boar taint are the biggest obstacles for reducing surgical castration for the Mediterranean countries. The Eastern European and Central European region do also nearly all surgically castrate their pigs and consider the restrictions imposed by the
Parma Industry and or boar taint sensitivity as an obstacle. The Northern European and Scandinavian regions have already made some efforts on reducing the number of practices by means of non-legislative initiatives. However, the biggest problem for realizing a complete stop of these regions and an additional problem of the Central and Eastern European regions is related to the absence of (inter)national acceptance of non-castrated pigs or immunocastrated pigs, which is crucial for these exporting countries. Consequently, on-line detection methods on the slaughter line of boar taint is of high importance. A legislative approach by the national government is seen by each geography region as the most successful factor for reducing the number of surgical castrated pigs, except central European region (remains unknown).

Tail docking of pigs is forbidden by national law in Sweden, Finland and Lithuania. The remaining Northern European countries do carry out this procedure on pigs, but an increasing number of legislative and non-legislative initiatives within this region show the urgency of phasing out this mutilation. The other European regions raise also pigs with docked tails, but no active initiatives could be found that aim for a reduction of this procedure. These regions consider a lack of political interest and or consumer willingness to pay for more animal friendly products as obstacles for realizing a reduction. Moreover, each region thinks of the following animal production related factors: large stocking densities of groups of pigs, floor type of housing system used and absence and or insufficient enrichment as likely being a restriction in order to realize a reduction of tail docking. A legislation approach by the national government is the most successful factor for realizing a reduction. The Central European region is an exception, because they consider a wholesale price increase by national retailers as most successful.

Beak trimming of laying hens, is already forbidding in Sweden, Finland, Austria and Denmark either by means of national legislation or as a voluntary ban by the poultry sector. Legislative and non-legislative initiatives aim for a stop in the near future or a reduction of beak trimming within the Northern European region. The other regions do
not show a sense of urgency for reducing beak trimming of laying hens. A lack of willingness to pay of consumers and political interest are seen as obstacles for reducing beak trimming within these regions. Furthermore, it seems that the husbandry systems of these regions are not ready yet to raise hens with intact beaks, because large stocking densities, breed and the housing system used are seen as the most frequent additional obstacles. A legislation approach by the national government is the factor with the greatest chance of realizing a reduction of beak trimming for most of the regions (Northern- and Eastern European regions remain unknown). The central European region considers the influence of large multinationals as most successful. Furthermore, the questionnaire results of the Eastern European region could not be used, it is expected that this region is not ready (yet) to reduce the number of beak trimming procedures.

See also Initiatives to reduce mutilations in EU livestock production. By Spoolder, H.A.M.; Schone, Maria; Bracke, M.B.M. 2016. Report 940. Wageningen Livestock Research, Wageningen.

Docking a piglet's tail using cautery (hot iron)

Executive summary

Which of the European member states have the potential to join the four front-runners?

The European member states that have the potential to become a coalition partner of the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden to reduce surgical castration of male pigs, tail docking of pigs and beak trimming of laying hens within the European Union.

Thesis
S.E.J. van Zanen
March 11, 2016
Adaptation Physiology Group
Wageningen University & Ministry of Economic Affairs

In order to get animal welfare higher on the European agenda The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark reached an agreement on several animal welfare related mutilations in 2014. Sweden joined the trilateral agreement in 2015. It is expected that by means of a joint European approach the biggest win for improving animal welfare can be reached within the European context. The main research question in this study is: which European member states have the potential to become a coalition partner of the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden in order to reduce surgical castration procedures in male pigs, tail docking procedures in pigs and beak trimming procedures
in laying hens? Other research questions are about the influence of the individual member states in the European Union and the key success factors and the biggest obstacles in realizing a reduction of each of the three mutilations within several geographic regions.
This study starts with a desk research that sketches the concept of animal welfare across the European Union. The result is a framework of factors that influences the importance attached to animal welfare and is used to explain the results of the following two studies within the broad concept of animal welfare across the European Union. A second desk research focuses on retrieving in-depth information on the current situation of the member states regarding the three mutilations. Thirdly, a questionnaire was set up to get insights into which actions have the greatest chance of success and what are the biggest obstacles in reducing the number of mutilations in animals. The questionnaire was spread, by means of an introducing email, to scientific researchers, veterinarians, policy makers/officers, NGO’s, employees in a slaughterhouse, farmers and students across the European Union. In total 130 respondents filled out questions about at least one of the three mutilations across 16 member states (Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece, Luxembourg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania and Slovenia have not taken part in the questionnaire). Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom are the most influential member states within the European Union. Furthermore, these member states, together with the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain and Poland are the biggest egg and pig producing states and or the greatest exporting countries of pork meat.
A legislative approach by the national government is seen by each geographical region as the most successful factor for reducing the number of surgical castrated pigs, except the central European region (remains unknown).
The majority of the pigs raised in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and Portugal are entire boars. In contrast to these member states, the restrictions imposed by the Parma ham industry force the Italian pig market (and small parts of the Spanish and Portuguese pig production) to slaughter their pigs at heavy weights, which makes surgical castration the most desired option. Consequently, the restrictions imposed by the Parma Industry and the sensitivity for boar taint are the biggest obstacles for reducing surgical castration for the Mediterranean region. The Eastern European and Central European region do also nearly all surgically castrate their pigs and consider the restrictions imposed by the Parma Industry and or boar taint sensitivity as an obstacle(s). The Northern European and Scandinavian regions have already made some efforts on reducing the number of surgical castration practices by means of non-legislative initiatives. However, the biggest problem for realizing a complete stop in these regions (and an additional problem of the Central and Eastern European regions) is related to the absence of (inter)national acceptance of non-castrated pigs or immunocastrated pigs, which is crucial for these exporting countries. Consequently, on-line detection methods on the slaughter line of boar taint is of high importance. It is suggested that the United Kingdom has the highest potential to be a coalition partner of the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden in order to reduce the number of surgical castrated pigs within the European Union.
The majority of the geographic regions consider a legislation approach by the national government as the most successful factor for realizing a reduction of tail docking of pigs. The Central European region is an exception, because they think of a wholesale price increase by retailers as most successfull. Tail docking of pigs is forbidden by national law in Sweden, Finland and Lithuania. The Northern European region does carry out this procedure on pigs, but an increasing number of legislative and nonlegislative initiatives within this region show the urgency of phasing out this mutilation. The other European regions raise also pigs with docked tails, but no active initiatives could be found that aim for a reduction of this procedure. These regions consider a lack of political interest and or consumer willingness to pay for more animal friendly products as obstacles for realizing a reduction. Moreover, each region considers large stocking densities of groups of pigs, floor type of housing system used and absence and or insufficient enrichment as animal-production based obstacles for realizing a reduction of tail docking. It is expected that Finland has the highest potential to be a coalition partner of the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden in order to reduce the number of tail docking procedures in pigs within the European Union.
The Mediterranean region considers a legislative approach by the national government as the factor with the greatest chance of success in realizing a reduction of beak trimming procedures (Northern- and Eastern European regions remain unknown). The Central European region considers the influence of large multinationals as most successful. Furthermore, the questionnaire results of the Eastern European region could not be used, it is expected that this region is not ready (yet) to reduce the number of beak trimming procedures. Beak trimming of laying hens is already forbidding in Sweden, Finland, Austria and Denmark either by means of national legislation or as a voluntary ban by the poultry sector. Legislative and non-legislative initiatives aim for a stop in the near future or a reduction of beak trimming procedures within the Northern European region. The other regions do not show a sense for urgency of reducing beak trimming of laying hens. A lack of willingness to pay of consumers and political interest are seen as obstacles for reducing beak trimming within these regions. Furthermore, the husbandry systems of these regions are not ready yet to raise hens with intact beaks, because large stocking densities, breed and the housing system used are seen as the most frequent additional obstacles. Austria and Finland are suggested to have the highest potential to be coalition partners of the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden in order to reduce the number of beak trimming procedures in laying hens within the European Union.

European commission initiative to reduce tail docking and improve enrichment

Enrichment, Legal, Pigs, Policy, Tail docking, , ,

March 2016 the European Commission takes another step to reduce tail docking and improve enrichment for pigs as part of its animal welfare strategy.

Here are some relevant phrases from the announcement made on the Commission’s website:

The welfare of pigs is assured by Council Directive 2008/120/EC.

It applies to all categories of pig and lays down minimum standards for their protection:

  • Providing permanent access to …. materials for rooting and playing

COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION (EU) 2016/336 of 8 March 2016 on the application of Council Directive 2008/120/EC laying down minimum standards for the protection of pigs as regards measures to reduce the need for tail-docking.

STAFF WORKING DOCUMENTpdf(706 kB) on best practices with a view to the prevention of routine tail-docking and the provision of enrichment materials to pigs [SWD(2016)49 final] Following the adoption of the Commission Recommendation (EU) 2016/336 as regards measures to reduce the need for tail-docking, the staff working document provides useful tools to a harmonised understanding on how the provision of manipulable material and avoidance of tail-docking can be practically achieved.

The working document recognises that proper enrichment is important to help prevent tail biting, and hence the need for tail docking.

Specified as unsafe are synthetic ropes, tyres, dry wood, dry sawdust, poorly stored straw, untreated peat/mushroom compost and dirty objects.

Furthermore proper enrichment should have one or more of the following qualities:

  • Edible or feed-like (to eat or smell)
  • Chewable (to bite)
  • Investigable (to root)
  • Manipulable (to change its location, appearance or
    structure)

Provision should be

  • of sustainable interest
  • accessible
  • of sufficient quantity
  • clean
MATERIALS OF MARGINAL INTEREST
Materials of marginal interest should not be used as essential or single component of pig
enrichment materials. They can provide distraction but should not be considered as
fulfiling the essential needs of the pigs. Other materials should also be provided.
Materials of marginal interest include objects, such as hard plastic piping or chains.
Marginal materials may supplement suboptimal materials like stones or strawdust briquette.

Re­search: How do Finnish pro­du­cers deal with long-tailed pigs?

Pigs, Straw, Tail biting, Tail docking, , , , ,
Tail biting is a common and serious welfare problem in pig production, causing large economical losses. Tail docking is performed routinely in most EU countries to reduce the tail biting risk. However, tail docking is painful, and does not prevent tail biting totally. In Finland, tail docking is forbidden. New research shows that most Finnish producers would not raise tail docked pigs if it were possible.

Professor Anna Valros led a project asking with a web-survey from the Finnish farmers how they manage to raise pigs without tail docking. Respondents scored feeding-related issues to be most important for prevention of tail biting, identifying and removing the biting pig as most important intervention measures, and straw as the most important manipulable material when preventing tail biting. Tail biting was not perceived as a serious problem by over 70% of the respondents, even though docking is not allowed, and was reported to occur close to a level which was also considered acceptable by the respondents. Most respondents did not think it is probable they would raise tail docked pigs if it were possible, but about 21 % probably would.

These results are important for trying to reduce the risk of tail biting, and subsequently the need for tail docking on an international level.

Results are published in Porcine health management – journal.

More in­form­a­tion

professor Anna Valros, anna.valros(at)helsinki.fi

tel. +358-29-4157400

Managing undocked pigs – on-farm prevention of tail biting and attitudes towards tail biting and docking,

Anna Valros, Camilla Munsterhjelm, Laura Hänninen, Tiina Kauppinen, Mari Heinonen, Porcine Health Management 2016

Soundbites Pig Welfare Conference: 3. Workshop

Enrichment, Legal, Meeting, Pigs, Policy, Tail biting, Tail docking, , , , , ,

On 29 – 30 April 2015 Denmark hosted an international conference “Improving Pig Welfare – what are the ways forward?“.

During the two-day conference, top academics, experts and political stakeholders from around the world debated and worked to prepare the way forward in improving pig welfare in Europe and ultimately in the world. Ministers from the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden participated.

Below you find ‘soundbites’ from conference workshops, all more or less related to the subjects of study in the FareWellDock project.

Workshop 3: Tail docking of piglets

The workshop on tail docking of piglets at the Pig Welfare Conference in DK had a very interesting poll showing that 95 % of the participants believe that it is realistic to stop tail docking either immediately or within a 10 years period.

Suggested solutions and ways forward for pig welfare (from Workshop 3): Stopping tail docking immediately …and encouraging the farmer to think “out of the box”; sharing information regarding manipulative material.

Workshop presentations:

Torben Jensen, Chief Manager, SEGES, Danish Pig Research Centre:
Intact Tails – A Challenge!
To dock or not to dock – what is in the producer’s best interest? (T. Jensen)
THE UNDERLYING PROCESSES OF TAIL BITING: foraging activity and tail damage are central (T. Jensen, Slide 3)
ENRICHMENT materials’ relative effect at reducing tail biting (D’Eath et al. 2014): 500gr compost/d is better than 500gr straw, but the latter may be equivalent to 12.5-20gr/p/d (T. Jensen, Slide 4)
Standard Undocked may pay off for some farmers but it is a more risky choice and has inferior welfare to Standard Docked (T. Jensen)
Cessation of tail docking increases the incidence of tail biting even in well-managed herds (T. Jensen)
Tail lesions are more frequent in organic and free range production than in conventional production (T. Jensen)
By tail docking producers are acting in their own best interest (T. Jensen)
To compare welfare consequences of no docking at a farm level the number of tail bitten pigs must be considered (T. Jensen).

Workshop 5: Market driven animal welfare. The role for retailers and consumers

Hans Spoolder, Professor, Wageningen University:
EconWelfare: Upgrading Animal Welfare Standards Across Europe
We need transparent animal welfare labeling schemes (H. Spoolder)
EU wide legislation is important to set the lower boundaries for farm animal welfare, and it needs to be enforced (H. Spoolder).
The overall goal of animal welfare policy should be the same everywhere in the EU (H. Spoolder).

Reducing tail docking in the Netherlands

Pigs, Policy, Tail biting, Tail docking, , , ,

On April 4, 2014 the Dutch Secretary State of Economic Affairs, Sharon Dijksma, reported to the Dutch parliament the following on the issues of tail docking and tail biting in pigs:
Firstly, research has been commissioned on tail biting and tail docking in pigs (2013-2017).
Secondly, steps have been taken to reduce tail docking in practice (Van Dekken, 28286, nr. 666).
The House of Parliament has asked the government to negotiate an end date for tail docking together with the stakeholders who signed the Declaration Dalfsen.
Since early 2013 the European Commission is working on a plan to address routine docking of piglets at the European level. In parallel, the Dutch pig sector organisations LTO and NVV, and the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animal together drafted and signed the Declaration of Dalfsen, which was presented on June 10, 2013. The Declaration focuses on the prevention of biting , the gradual reduction of short tail docking, leading finally to the responsible ending of the practice of tail docking . It is a process in which partners have expressed trust in each other. These are important steps in the right direction. The Animal Welfare policy note states that the declaration is endorsed and supported by the funding of research. In about two years this research is likely to provide insight if and which promising solutions exist. At that point in time more will be known about the progress made at the European level. At that time the Secretary of State and the partners of the declaration will determine a realistic deadline to responsibly stop the tail docking of pigs.
Finally, as to the strict compliance of the EC Directive on pig welfare in Europe (Ouwehand, TK 21501-32, nr. 750): The House of Parliament has asked the government insist that the European Commission will move towards strict enforcement of animal welfare guidelines and reports on compliance in the Member States. This is related to signs of non-compliance of the Directive by several Member States and more specifically in the areas of tail docking and the routing filing of canine teeth.
With a view to improving the implementation and enforcement of the Directive lying down minimum standards for the protection of pigs (2008/120/EC), the Commission – partly based on the Dutch request – started the development of guidelines supplementing the Directive, including a guideline on tail docking. These guidelines (which are expected to be completed this year) are expected to improve enforcement and compliance.

Pig on arm
Piglet on arm