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Farming Today: Farming Today This Week

Farming Today This Week

14/01/2012

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Farming Today This Week

It's a pig's life: Charlotte Smith investigates welfare conditions for pigs.

Charlotte Smith hears how imported EU pork will be produced to better welfare standards this time next year.

As of January 2013 European pig farmers will have to stop routinely tethering their sows and reduce the amount of time the pigs are confined in stalls. Charlotte Smith reports from Mark Bailey, a Worcestershire pig farmer who rears his animals outdoors. Mark thinks that the new welfare standards won't go far enough.

The new pig welfare standards have already been in place on UK farms since 1999. Melvin Rickarby visits Richard Blant who keeps 100 sows at his farm near Nottingham to find out what the conditions are currently for UK pigs.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron says that the UK was wrong to be ahead of other EU countries. There are warnings that many farmers on the continent will not make the deadline in time to be compliant to the new sow stall regulations by January 2013. John Howard from the Danish Agriculture and Food Council assures that Denmark will be ready in time. 

Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Emma Weatherill.

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