RSPCA: Shoppers no longer need to be pig ignorant about pork

Tuesday, 23 February 2010 12:00 AM

The launch of a new voluntary code of practice today means shoppers can now look forward to clear and consistent labelling on UK pork products for terms such as free range, outdoor bred and outdoor reared.

When it comes to buying pork products, consumers say they do not have enough information to make informed decisions and are confused about terms such as 'outdoor bred' and 'outdoor reared' and the conditions in which pigs are actually reared.*

And of course, there is every reason for shoppers to be confused by these terms, as until now they could mean different things depending on what you buy and where you buy it.

This news comes just one year after the RSPCA launched its long term 'Rooting for Pigs' campaign, which called on supermarkets and other UK food retailers to work with it to develop and sign up to a voluntary labelling agreement because previously there were no set definitions for pork product labelling.

The new voluntary code, which also covers country of origin and breed labelling, aims to clear up this confusion. It is the work of the Pig Meat Supply Chain Task Force [set up under Defra and chaired by the Food and Farming Minister Jim Fitzpatrick], which has worked in consultation with the RSPCA, retailers and the pig industry to draw up the production method labelling definitions.

"This is great news for people and pigs alike. We are right behind the development of this code as we believe it is essential that all pig meat is clearly and consistently labelled so shoppers can make an informed choice about what production methods they are supporting through their purchases," said Kate Parkes, RSPCA farm animal scientist

"That is why the RSPCA has been working alongside the UK pig industry to develop a set of criteria for the production method labels currently in use - 'outdoor bred', 'outdoor reared' and 'free range'. Now these terms have been agreed, we hope that retailers will sign up to the new code and commit to only labelling products with these terms when they are sourced from pigs raised under the specified criteria. "

Ms Parkes added: "Ultimately, we would like to see these definitions have legal status. We have European law governing the labelling of poultry meat and eggs with the method of production, so why not pig meat?"

The RSPCA is now calling for an effective review of the EU law relating to pig production and welfare. To push this forward the charity will be lobbying for a legal requirement within the EU to ensure these agreed definitions are complied with when the labelling terms free range or outdoor bred/ reared are used on products.

"The pig industry has been one of the most proactive of all the UK livestock sectors in seeking ways to progress the health and welfare of the animals it produces, and many UK pigs are reared under good welfare standards throughout their lives," said Ms Parkes.

"However, even in the UK where the law and industry practices go beyond EU legal requirement in some key welfare areas, some pigs are still kept in ways that fail to meet their needs. Consumers have an important role in helping to encourage and support higher welfare, and improved labelling is an essential tool in enabling them to exercise their buying power in this respect.'

If consumers want to support higher welfare production through their purchases, they should look out for pig meat labelled with the Freedom Food logo, says the RSPCA. Freedom Food is the RSPCA's farm animal welfare assurance scheme which aims to ensure that animals are reared, handled, transported and slaughtered according to welfare standards developed and monitored by the Society.

(-ends-)

Notes for editors:

* The survey was carried out by TNS. Total sample size was 1012 adults. Interviewing was carried out between 19-21 December 2008. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 16+).

· In the survey, 23 per cent of respondents said they did not buy higher welfare pork products because they "didn't know much about how the pigs are reared".

· A further 19 per cent said the labelling of pork products was too confusing/ absent to allow them to make an informed choice, and only 2 per cent of those questioned understood production method terms such as 'outdoor bred', 'outdoor reared' and 'free range.

· Pigs are highly intelligent and inquisitive animals that often outdo dogs in learning tests. They are often rated as the fourth most intelligent animal, behind primates, dolphins and elephants and there are concerns that many of the 160 million pigs reared annually for meat in the EU are raised in conditions that the public would think horrifying if applied to any of these other species.

RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS
Press office direct lines: 0300 123 0244/0288 Fax: 0303 123 0099
Duty press officer (evenings and weekends) Tel 08448 222888 and ask for pager number 828825
Email: press@rspca.org.uk Website: www.rspca.org.uk

Tags: