Pig Welfare | RSPCA Certified

Understanding welfare in Australia's pork industry

Pork is the second most consumed meat in Australia, and the pig industry has some challenging welfare issues in animal farming for the breeding herd as well as the roughly 5 million pigs slaughtered each year.

The vast majority of pigs are raised entirely indoors, with a small percentage in outdoor bred or free-range systems. RSPCA Certified pork can come from indoor, outdoor bred or free-range systems so long as the farms and abattoirs supplying the pork have been assessed and certified to the RSPCA Australia Standard for Pigs.

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For pigs on RSPCA Certified farms, one of the most important requirements is they are free from confinement in sow stalls, farrowing crates, boar stalls and mating stalls.

Additionally, the standard requires that pigs are not subjected to painful husbandry procedures such as tail docking, surgical castration or teeth clipping and whether housed in enhanced indoor, outdoor-bred or free-range systems, pigs have space to move, forage, socialise and explore.

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“There’s a reason why we have the saying ‘as happy as a pig in mud’, because being able to wallow in mud is an important part of pig welfare.”

Farm Assessments

RSPCA Certified pig farms are assessed annually by specially trained RSPCA Assessors, with additional unannounced assessments on top of a routine assessment.

All RSPCA Certified pig abattoirs have an annual unannounced assessment.

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Legal requirements for Pigs

The RSPCA Australia standard and corresponding certification from RSPCA Certified is just one way the RSPCA works to improve pig welfare, but there are many improvements still needed when it comes to the welfare of pigs in conventional farming systems.

The most pressing animal welfare issue in pig farming is the close confinement of pigs in barren indoor environments, where there’s no opportunity for these intelligent animals to explore, forage and engage in natural behaviours. Farrowing crates should be urgently phased out in favour of farrowing systems that allow sows to move freely and that allow sows and piglets to express natural behaviours, such as exploring and nesting behaviours.

Sow stalls and individual stalls for boars should also be phased out in favour of group housing for sows and large pens for boars. Good housing and good husbandry management should also eliminate the need for tail docking and teeth clipping. An environment that offers appropriate enrichment and satisfies pigs’ motivation to explore and chew reduces the risk of tail biting.

For more information about key welfare issues for farmed pigs, and how RSPCA continues to advocate for improvements, visit the RSPCA Australia website.

Legal minimum	RSPCA Certified
Bedding is not legally required unless pigs are housed in deep litter housing systems. Otherwise, pigs can spend their lives on bare concrete or slatted flooring.	Good quality bedding provided and maintained.
Enrichment not legally required.	If pigs do not have continuous access to the outdoors they must have enrichment that allows them to express rooting, foraging and chewing behaviours.
Painful husbandry procedures are allowed and pain relief is not legally required.	Surgical castration, nose ringing, tail docking, ear notching and teeth clipping is not permitted. Immunocastration is permitted.
Boar stalls, mating stalls, sow stalls and farrowing crates all permitted.	Boar stalls, mating stalls, sow stalls and farrowing crates not permitted.