Page 3439 - Week 11 - Thursday, 19 September 2013
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believe that pigs exhibit the same intelligence as a three-year old human being. It is no surprise then that sows kept in stalls show stereotypical behaviours caused by their extreme frustration and boredom, such as biting the bars of the stall and continuously swaying their heads.
Many countries and states have already recognised the cruelty of using sow stalls. Places like Sweden, the UK and nine US states have now legislated to outlaw sow stalls. These jurisdictions recognise the cruelty of confining a highly intelligent animal like a pig in a stall until it slowly goes insane. I want the ACT to join these places by legislating to ban this practice.
This bill outlaws the cruel practice of keeping pigs in sow stalls or farrowing crates by inserting a new section 9B into the Animal Welfare Act. The new section 9B will create an offence of keeping a pig in anything less than appropriate accommodation. The maximum penalty for a prosecution for this offence is 50 penalty units.
Appropriate accommodation for a pig kept by a person is defined in new section 9B(3). This clause provides that appropriate accommodation allows a pig to turn around, stand up and lie down without difficulty, have a clean, comfortable and adequately drained place in which it can lie down, maintain a comfortable temperature and have outdoor access.
If the accommodation is for more than one pig, each pig in the accommodation must be able to lie down at the same time. The accommodation must also allow pigs to be able to see each other, except for a pig isolated on the advice of a veterinary surgeon or a pig within a week of farrowing.
Madam Speaker, there are no intensive pig farms currently operating in the ACT, and so sow stalls are not being used here. But I want this Assembly to legislate to ensure that, should a pig farm be established in the territory, it would never have the option of using sow stalls or farrowing crates.
There has been much community concern and outrage for many years about the welfare of hens in battery cages and pigs in sow stalls. Public sentiment has built a groundswell against the intensive factory farming of hens and pigs. I will continue to advocate for these improved standards to be implemented nationally when the opportunity arises, and as the relevant minister, through the Standing Council on Primary Industries.
I believe that it is now time for the ACT to show national leadership on this issue through legislation. This Assembly’s passage of this bill will send a strong message to the rest of the nation that the intensive confinement of pigs and layer hens is no longer considered acceptable. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mr Coe) adjourned to the next sitting.
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