November 21, 2024
Our new scientific statement reveals that the legal requirements for the lying area in pig fattening systems in Austria are insufficient.
Our new scientific statement reveals that the legal requirements for the lying area in pig fattening systems in Austria are insufficient.
The Austrian organization Verein Gegen Tierfabriken (VGT) advocates for compassion and respect for non-human animals in society. Expertise for Animals supports this mission by providing scientifically sound expertise.
According to official figures from 2020, around 70% of all pigs in Austria are kept on fully slatted floors. Consequently, most pigs are forced to lie on hard and perforated flooring.
Since January 2023, new and renovated facilities have been subject to revised legal requirements for pen design. However, even under the updated rules, a lying area that is hard and perforated remains permissible. For pigs, these changes make little difference to their conditions, including the negative impacts on their health and behavior.
We have prepared a science-based statement to support VGT in advocating for an end to fully slatted floors. With this statement, VGT can use evidence-based arguments to critique the failure of general legal requirements to provide an adequate lying area.
The statement is freely accessible and can be downloaded here and from the VGT news page.
Please note: The statement is currently only available in German.
Research confirms the severe impairments caused by hard slatted flooring for pigs. It leads to limb disorders, technopathies (environment-related physical changes), and respiratory diseases, all of which cause the animals to suffer. There is no provision for lying comfort.
Additionally, the lack of space prevents pigs from dividing their living space into functional areas. As a result, the lying area becomes soiled with excreta. The limited space also prevents all pigs from lying stretched out simultaneously. Species-specific behaviors related to thermoregulation cannot be performed, posing a significant risk, especially in elevated temperatures.
As a result, pigs suffer under these housing conditions, experiencing painful health impairments and restricted behavioral expression.
The statement examines, using scientific evidence, the extent to which the housing conditions meet the legal requirements for the lying area. Austrian law (1st Animal Husbandry Ordinance) mandates a lying area for pigs that must:
Neither the existing nor the revised pen design requirements under the same ordinance meet these criteria. The lying area cannot be considered physically or thermally comfortable. The flooring is often soiled due to restrictions on species-specific behavior. Lying behavior is limited because there is insufficient space for all pigs to lie down simultaneously.
The 1st Animal Husbandry Ordinance, therefore, contradicts itself. These inadequacies have severe consequences for the pigs.
In November 2024, VGT filed a legal complaint against a pig farming operation that fails to meet legal requirements. To support their arguments, they are using our scientific statement, which can be downloaded from VGT’s announcement.
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