Pork industry says cheap imported meat trumps animal welfare standards in New Zeeland

Published 2023년 3월 15일

Tridge summary

The article highlights the challenges New Zealand's pig industry, represented by NZPork, faces in selling locally produced pork to consumers during a cost of living crisis due to the importation of cheaper pork from countries with lower animal welfare standards. NZPork's CEO, Brent Kleiss, points out the discrepancy between local production and imports, with New Zealand importing over 40% of its pork in the 2021/2022 financial year. Kleiss emphasizes the desire for better animal welfare among consumers, which is not reflected in their purchasing behaviors. The article also discusses the inadequacies of country-of-origin labeling, calling for equal welfare standards for imported pork, and addressing the advantages that overseas farmers have, such as government subsidies and access to cheap feed. It also brings attention to practices in countries like Spain and the USA, which are not in line with New Zealand's welfare standards, such as gestation stalls and lack of pain relief during castration. The piece also touches on the European Union's welfare rules and efforts to improve minimum standards for pig keeping in member countries like Poland.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

It is hard to sell homegrown pork products to New Zealand consumers during a cost of living crisis, even if local farmers follow better animal welfare practices than exporting countries, says pig industry body NZPork. NZPork’s chief executive Brent Kleiss said New Zealand imported large amounts of pork from countries with animal welfare standards below those required of their Kiwi counterparts, an issue his organisation has been continually seeking to highlight. The country imported about 73,000 tonnes of pig, by carcass weight, in the 2021/2022 financial year, with about 44,000 tonnes in carcass weight produced locally, he said. Kleiss said it was hard to sell New Zealand pork to local consumers, especially during a cost of living crisis, despite NZPork’s efforts to educate the public that imported pork was cheaper in part because overseas farmers did not have to meet the same welfare standards as applied here. “We see consumers voice their opinion that they want better animal ...

Source: Stuff NZ