Pat's Note: The NZlanders are not keen to admit that PMWS came from legally
imported pigs and semen.
They are following the British pattern - blame imaginary illegal infected
imports.
But that then suggests that they are incompetent and fed pork to pigs. They
obviously can't admit that, can they?
Let's be frank, they are wetting their knickers. Britain exported the more
dangerous strain around the world in live pigs and semen. This lot were dumb
enough to let it in and paid for the privilege. How stupid can you get?
Now every chancer in both islands is trying to make a bob or two out of a
disaster.
..and there are human health implications.
....and Britain has not even begun to publicise the French Food Standards
Agency allegations that Britain's Food Standards Agency has been hiding up
toxoplasmosis in its pigs. They obviously ordered the press reports be
removed.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411419/763025
Jun 22, 2006
New Zealanders are increasingly demanding moral meals with animals raised in
what consumers regard as humane conditions. And a group of South Island
farmers are seizing the opportunity to feed the niche market.
However, at the same time concerns are being raised about how well some
aspects of the pork industry are being policed.
As New Zealanders become more discerning about their meals, farmers are
capitalising on the concern about pig welfare.
Gregor Fyfe from Freedom Farms in Canterbury says they have to meet
standards set by the SPCA who do an independent audit. This means there are
no sow crates or pens.
About half of New Zealand sows are kept in crates for about two months of
each pregnancy and birth cycle. They spend their whole lives getting
pregnant.
Pig farmer Graham Taylor says animal rightists will want to burn his place
down, but he says for the 28 days the sow is in the crate "she's got plenty
to occupy her mind".
Back on Freedom Farms, sows give birth in chalets - making for more
expensive bacon.
Research suggests that at least 26% of the population believe it is worth
paying extra just from a welfare point of view.
When pigs go to slaughter farmers must fill out a declaration form, but not
all the questions are mandatory. One asks whether the farmer has fed their
pig other pig meat.
Chris Trengrove from the New Zealand Pork Industry Board says that is just a
"no brainer" and those in the industry would not feed "like to like".
However, it appears to have happened and the pork board now suspects an
outbreak of the pig wasting disease PMWS that killed 1,000 piglets in the
South Island earlier this year was spread through contaminated imported pig
meat being fed to other pigs.
The disease does not affect human health.
The board says it would support questions of such importance being mandated.
It does not officially audit the voluntary answers about pigs being fed
pigmeat but says they are audited by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority.
But the authority told One News it does not audit the voluntary section of
the form because it is not related to human food safety. It says consumers
should not be alarmed about the issue as current procedures are safe.
"We do all sort of things to allay people's fears, but sometimes it just
takes someone to stand up and say the moon is a cube and people believe it,"
says Andrew McKenzie from the NZFSA.
But back on Freedom Farms they see a niche in addressing people's concerns,
including using an independent vet to audit their pigs' food chain.
"We think we need to do that so people can be positive, know what they are
buying and eating," says Fyfe.
And the pig board says it will push the Ministry of Agriculture for tighter
industry-wide controls on pig feeding.
Regards
Pat Gardiner
www.go-self-sufficient.com
