Half of member states not compliant with sow stall ban

Back in 1999 sow stalls and tethers were banned in the UK. It was a ruling that devastated the British pig industry, as the multi-million pound investment in building and operating higher welfare units never translated into better prices in the supermarkets.

Competitors on the continent were given until 2013 to convert their equipment and, as UK pig farmers went out of business, flooded the British market with cheaply-produced pork and bacon.

But on 1 January 2013 it will become illegal to house sows in stalls except for the first four weeks of gestation. It should mean that the disparity in costs between UK and continental pig production should narrow and yet, with just nine months to go until the legislation is in place, less than half of all member states will be fully compliant. Some have made no provisions to comply with the legislation.

Only 12 say they will fully comply by 2013, with seven states saying they will be 90% compliant; five 70-89% compliant and three member states disclosing they have made no provisions.

So what is the European Commission going to do about non-compliance?

At a recent breakfast briefing organised by the NPA and NFU, Andrea Gavinelli, head of the animal welfare unit at the European Commission, said the commission intended to use all the systems they had when enforcing the rules.

To date, the commission has agreed to host six training events for official vets who will be responsible for monitoring and feeding back compliance. However, it will be the member states who are primarily responsible for implementation, with the commission ensuring that member states apply the rules.

Mr Gavinelli also said the commission was already doing preparatory work to ensure it was ready to launch infringement procedures against non-compliant member states come next year.

And despite hints that some member states have been calling for a derogation, Mr Gavinelli confirmed the commission intended to keep a strong line and use all of the systems in place to enforce legislation.

Will trade be affected?

Mr Gavinelli admitted that identifying whether piglets have been born from sows in compliant or non-compliant systems would be difficult.

With cross-border trade of pigs from non-compliant systems possible and traceability of whether piglets have come from a compliant or non-compliant unit hard, monitoring movements will be difficult, he said.

“The EU is a unique market. We don’t have a system of control to monitor movements between member states,” he said.

Stewart Houston, director of the NPA, also expressed a concern about being able to identify piglets from differing systems

“There is a huge trade of weaners, especially into Germany. How are they going to be able to tell whether they are coming from a compliant unit? Germany not only takes a lot of finished pigs to slaughter, but they also have a huge trade in meat across the border for further processing. They could have a real difficulty in being able to identify provenance,” he said.

However, Mr Houston felt the UK should be fine, with its main supply source being Denmark – one of the 12 countries that will be compliant by 2013.

What will all this mean for the UK?

Mr Houston believes there will, without doubt, be a decrease in the number of pigs produced in the EU as a result of the 2013 ban, which could mean good news for UK producers.

He said: “UK producers have struggled to make a margin due to the oversupply of pork and pork products. Non-compliance by some member states could be good for UK pig producers as it could increase profitability in the short term due to supply issues.”

Do the supermarkets have a role to play in ensuring compliance?

To ensure a level playing field across EU member states is met, Mr Houston and farm minister Jim Paice have agreed to resurrect the Pig Industry Task Force to bring retailers and the food service sector back together and to get an agreement from them that they will only source compliant meat. Mr Houston said: “For the first time we are confident UK retailers will comply and will run with us on this. They have all got a reputation at stake and retailers and brands know they can be named and shamed if they are not compliant.”

MEP for Scotland, George Lyon, has also drawn up a declaration which he will try and get the majority of MEPs to sign. This will then go down as a written position in parliament for debate (the equivalent of an Early Day Motion).

He is also going to invite major retailers to give a pledge that, once 1 January 2013 is here, they will not sell illegal meat.

What will happen to piglets born to sows in stalls after 2013?

Frans Van Dongen of PVE, the Dutch equivalent of the AHDB, admitted The Netherlands would not be fully compliant with the partial sow stall ban by 2013.

He reckoned one in 10 Dutch farms would not be in line with the new legislation and said the Dutch government was already discussing a possible insemination ban on non-compliant units.

Mr Van Dongen admitted some farmers didn’t care about the legislation, as they also had to comply with new environmental legislation to improve air quality by installing air scrubbers.

He believed 10% of Dutch pig farmers would leave the industry, but thought other farms would take over the level of production.

What have we learnt from the cage ban?

It is thought the cage ban has focused the mind of the EU Commission, which has begun taking action months earlier than it did with the cage ban.

Talking about his experience in the poultry industry, Duncan Priestner, who sits on the NFU poultry board, said: “The main lessons learnt from the egg cage ban is that it was important to close the market for eggs produced in battery cages and the time to act was 12 months before the regulation was due to be implemented.”

However, the commission was strict with its stance and enforced the regulation, putting a stop to any illegal trading of eggs.

However, a shortage of eggs in the market has caused market disruption and Mr Priestner warned that a “rollercoaster in price” was not good for business.

“The EU is now short of eggs following the ban and wholesale prices have gone through the roof. This is not good for any business and makes it hard work.”

The 12 member states that will meet 2013 legislation

• UK

• Luxembourg

• Sweden

• Bulgaria

• Czech Republic

• Denmark

• Estonia

• Ireland

• Hungary

• Lithuania

• Slovakia/Slovenia

• Germany