Pigs - because they're worth it
Although banned from using a a recent British pork advertisement – with claims of ‘very high welfare’ – the British Pig Executive continues to maintain that its Quality Standard Mark reflects very high welfare standards.
Compassion in World Farming welcomes the Advertising Standards Authority ruling; we believe the ban is a real victory for consumers and leads the way for an improvement in food labelling.
On its website, the British Pig Executive insists the Quality Standard Mark label guarantees ‘very high welfare’. We do not agree. Our guide to the cuts might help you decide.
Food labelling should be easy to understand, but it’s not. With your support we can put pressure on the EU for a new Regulation that ensures you get the information you need when you buy meat.
Write to the Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel today.
Compassion believes we need to support British pig farmers, but only those who rear their pigs to truly high welfare standards. Whilst we agree that British pigs are treated better than many of their European counterparts – with no sow stalls and castration being rare – it remains a fact that around 80 per cent of pigs reared for meat in Britain are tail docked, 35 per cent are not given any straw and at least 50 per cent or more of British sows are kept in farrowing crates.
Across Europe intensively reared pigs are kept in some of the starkest most horrific conditions. Whilst UK legislation ensures British pigs have some better welfare guarantees than European counterparts the lack of clear, legal labelling provides little motivation to raise welfare standards.
Consumer awareness is rising and we believe that farmers and retailers need to wake up to this, and stop hoodwinking people with misleading messages.
How you can help
Here are some ways you can help support our work for more honest food labelling: