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Getting to the heart of country life with a look at individual farming endeavours

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On Your Farm: 22/04/2012

22/04/2012

BBC Radio 4 - On Your Farm, 22/04/2012

Sarah Swadling examines welfare standards in the Danish pig industry.

Tiny pens which restrict pigs' movement, called sow stalls, will be partially banned in the EU next year. Sarah Swadling examines how it will change Danish pig farming.

Denmark is the largest source of imported pork and bacon eaten in the UK. Its pig industry is facing a major change because a partial ban on the use of sow stalls is coming into force next year. The vast majority of Danish breeding pigs have been kept in the narrow pens which only allow sows to stand up and lie down. Sow stalls were completely banned in the UK in 1999. But, as Sarah Swadling finds out, the new EU regulation will still mean that, in practice, pigs will still be kept in sow stalls for several months a year, as well as being confined after they have had piglets. Per Bach Laursen, who breeds 36,000 pigs a year in Northern Jutland, tells Sarah that the stalls reduce stress from sows bullying each other during the early stages of pregnancy. He's concerned that, whilst Danish farmers are on course to comply with the new rules, countries like Spain and France may not meet the deadline. 

Produced and Presented by Sarah Swadling.

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22/04/2012

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