Australian Pork Limited (APL) is undertaking the development of the Australian Animal Welfare Industry Standards and Guidelines for Pigs, with the support of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments, and the Australian pork industry. The Standards and Guidelines are being developed from the current Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Pigs and informed by contemporary science, practical experience and stakeholder input.
The project follows the government-led standards development process as closely as possible, including the formation of a Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) led by an independent chair and consisting of veterinary experts, research scientists, animal welfare advocates, representatives of state, territory and federal government and industry leaders from across production and the supply chain.
Note: Government participation on the SAG does not provide endorsement of the final standards and guidelines, nor a commitment to implement them through legislation.
The Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Pigs is on the Animal Welfare Task Group workplan. A review of the Model Code was initiated in 2018 with the commission of a Scientific Literature review by the Animal Welfare Science Centre. As there is no jurisdiction to lead the review, it has not progressed.
In the absence of a government-led review, the Australian pork industry has chosen to take the initiative and develop the Australian Animal Welfare Industry Standards and Guidelines for Pigs that could in the future be endorsed by government and implement into legislation.
The Australian Animal Welfare Industry Standards and Guidelines for Pigs are being designed for industry-wide adoption, using the same established methodology applied to other livestock standards (such as those for cattle and poultry). Standards are written as if they were legal requirements, using ‘must’. They may form the basis for consistent legislation and enforcement across Australia, including for industry Quality Assurance (QA) schemes. The guidelines which use the word ‘should’ are the recommended practices to achieve desirable livestock welfare outcomes.
The industry-led Standards and Guidelines development process is scientifically based and considers, where appropriate, international pig welfare codes and standards.
The objective of the Project is to continuously improve the welfare of pigs by establishing Australian Animal Welfare Industry Standards and Guidelines for Pigs that are contemporary, science-driven and robustly evidence based.
As this document is being developed under an industry-led process, formal public consultative steps such as a Regulatory Impact Statement and public consultation will not be utilised.
A review of the scientific literature and the international pig welfare codes and standards was undertaken in August 2018. The review provides conclusions, recommendations and future research for numerous welfare issues relevant to the Australian pig industry. The review was undertaken by the Animal Welfare Science Centre, University of Melbourne and funded by Australian Pork Limited, and can be found below.
The Review has been subject to an anonymous peer review to confirm its validity. A response to reviewer comments can be found below.
The state and territory governments are responsible for the regulation of animal welfare in Australia. Each state and territory has an Animal Welfare Act outlining their animal welfare legislation.
Review of the scientific literature and the international pig welfare codes and standards to underpin the future Standards and Guidelines for Pigs