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Last year, close to a quarter of a million pregnant pigs in Australia were caged in stalls so small that they could not walk or even turn around.


			”I recently saw a documentary exposing the cruel and inhumane treatment of pigs in factory farms. It was deeply saddening to watch. I feel it’s important that the public is aware of the realities of factory farming and I hope that through this knowledge we can come together to bring about change and eventually abolish the unnecessary suffering of these sentient beings." ABBIE CORNISH ACTRESS AND VOICELESS AMBASSADOR

Factory farmed pigs never go outside, see the sun or feel the earth under their feet. They can’t root in the ground, nurture their young or socialise normally. It is the mothers and babies who suffer the most…

Pregnant pigs, also known as sows, are confined for most of their reproductive lives in steel stalls barely bigger than a shopping trolley. Before giving birth, sows are transferred to even smaller stalls known as farrowing crates.
A few days into their lives, tiny piglets are routinely mutilated by having their teeth clipped or sensitive body parts such as their tails cut off without anaesthetic. This can cause extreme and long lasting pain.
Piglets are prematurely separated from their mothers and moved to crowded pens in which they live in barren surroundings, often on bare concrete floors, until they are taken away to become pork, ham and bacon.

Australia is behind the World

Sow stalls are already banned in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Finland. They are also banned in Florida and are being phased out in Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine and Oregon in the United States. All members of the European Union will be obliged to prohibit the use of sow stalls (except for the first four weeks of pregnancy) from 1 January 2013. The introduction of new sow stalls has been illegal in the EU since 2003.

Two of the largest pork producers in the US and Canada also recently announced their plans to phase out sow stalls.

All animal protection groups in Australia oppose sow stalls.

Australia should be ashamed.

When buying bacon, ham and pork, most Australians imagine pigs living in ‘old MacDonald’s farm’ of nursery rhymes - roaming freely and wallowing in the mud. However, the reality of life for more than 90% of Australian pigs is starkly different.

Pigs in factory farms live short lives of suffering, pain and deprivation.

IT’S NOW TIME TO TAKE ACTION AND BECOME A VOICE FOR PIGS.

How you can Help

If you are an individual

Write a letter to your local paper, go on talk-back radio or contact your local council. Share your concerns about the treatment of factory farmed pigs and become more informed about the issue.
Write a letter to your local Member of Parliament and to the Minister responsible for Animal Welfare in your State or Territory. Ask them to outlaw the factory farming of pigs or at the very least, to introduce a proper labelling system that enables consumers to make animal-friendly choices at the supermarket.
Every time you go to a supermarket, fast-food outlet, restaurant or café, encourage them to consider the welfare of pigs by asking questions about where they purchase their pork, ham or bacon.
Replace pig products with other delicious and healthy ingredients such as: lentils, potatoes, chick peas or tofu.
If you eat pork, ham or bacon, cut down on the amount you eat and consider not purchasing factory farmed products.
Support an animal protection group financially or by volunteering your time, services or skills.

If you own a restaurant or food outlet

Expand your restaurant’s menu to include vegetarian and vegan options.
Consider not serving factory farmed products.
Provide information to your customers about where your pig products are sourced from.
Build strategic partnerships with other organisations (including your restaurant’s suppliers) that have a strong commitment to animal protection.
Support an animal protection group by becoming a sponsor or donating goods or services.