grill looks at the pork industry's response to the public outcry over animal welfare concerns about pig farming. 

Has the court of public opinion led to better traceability for pork products and a potential boon for the ‘home-grown’ industry? A quick google producing two Pork Industry Board sites – www.pigfarminginnz.co.nz and www.pork.co.nz –  suggests that may be so.

More than six months after Mike King’s shock/horror exposé of pig-farming practices spoiled the appetites of bacon-lovers nationwide, the industry’s lobby group – the Pork Industry Board (or NZPork) – is running campaigns on its websites lauding the quality of both the farming practices and the finished product from New Zealand.

With the current retail food trends toward COOL branding (country of origin labelling), greater animal welfare and high quality cuts with independent verification, NZPork, which had hitherto avoided all of these trends, seems at last to be responding to consumer concerns.

In an attempt to avoid increasingly prescriptive legislation, producers introduced a compulsory audit scheme from January 2010 for all commercial pig production systems. 

The pigfarminginnz.co.nz website states: “Every pig farm in New Zealand will be audited, and only those farms that pass the pig welfare audit will be eligible to use the ‘100% Welfare Certified/100% New Zealand’ pork label – fostering people’s connection to what they eat, how it is farmed and that it is distinctly 100% New Zealand – an informed and supportive choice….’

“This year as part of the industry’s commitment to continuously improving the welfare of pigs, and in response to consumer concern around farming styles used in New Zealand, our farmers have committed to an independent annual welfare audit programme called – ‘Pig Care’.”

Farms will be audited annually by certified auditors who will use the on-farm welfare validation tool developed by Massey University. This tool has been developed with the support of MAF and in conjunction with veterinarians and the RNZSPCA.

Meanwhile, the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) has completed a review of the 2005 Code of Welfare for pigs and is consulting on a new draft code. Submissions on the new draft close in April.

While wild pork continues to be a sought-after product, it does meet resistance from the diner due to perceived (and real) cruel hunting methods – but no longer, Razorback free range farmed wild pork is now a readily accessible option, at least for top-of-the-line restaurants. 

Early New Zealand cuisine was dominated by the ubiquitous presence of pork, even to the point where many early settlers complained bitterly of the monotony of pork with every meal. Perhaps we should again make pork and puha the national dish and perhaps draught beer the national drink.