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Stanley Brothers farm at Oaonui Photo: iStudios Multimedia Ltd
New Zealand's pig farming sector says a new draft welfare code for pigs could spell the end of the country's pork industry.
The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee has drafted a new code, following a High Court ruling in November 2020 that deemed farrowing crates unlawful.
It's proposing a range of changes to the way pigs are cared for, including increased space allowances, restrictions on farrowing crates and an increased weaning age.
But New Zealand's pig farming body NZ Pork says the new code could lead to the deaths of 60,000 piglets every year and would require almost every indoor and outdoor pig farm in the country to be partly or totally re-built.
Lynn speaks with Dr Gwyneth Verkerk, the chair of the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and Brent Kleiss, chief executive of NZ Pork.