Farrowing crates, which confine mother pigs kept on factory farms, violate the Animal Welfare Act 1999, and for the first time in New Zealand history the Act will be tested in court.
SAFE and the New Zealand Animal Law Association (NZALA) filed court proceedings against the Agriculture Minister and the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee in February last year. The court hearing is set down for 8 June 2020 at the Wellington High Court.
By filing legal proceedings, SAFE and NZALA wish to compel NAWAC and the Minister to act lawfully, to improve their legal procedures and to adopt a more robust legal understanding of their duties.
About half of New Zealand’s pig farms use farrowing crates. A mother pig will spend over three months of each year confined in a cage too small for her to turn around or nurse her baby piglets properly.
The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee has stated on multiple occasions that the use of farrowing crates does not fully meet the obligations of the Animal Welfare Act 1999.
