Don’t let the Government keep you in the dark

Top image: Jo-Anne McArthur Essere Animali

Australian shoppers like to buy Australian made. It helps our local farmers and producers, and it helps you ensure you’re making the safest choices for you and your family. What many consumers may not realise is that while the fresh pork on Australian shelves is farmed locally, most of the processed ham and bacon on our shelves is imported. About half of these imports come from the United States, the rest come from Europe.

Why is that important? There’s a significant difference in standards between the United States as opposed to Australia or Europe. While we are seeking improvements in Australian pig welfare standards, they are a lot better than the US, and most European countries. But based on the current labelling requirements, you have no way of knowing whether the bacon and ham you’re buying is from a higher welfare Australian farm, or if it’s from a lower welfare farm in America, where there are acute animal welfare concerns and potential human health issues through misuse of antibiotics.

This is no life for a mother pig

Demand clear country of origin labels today

You have a right to know where your food is from

The current lack of transparency for pork labelling is unacceptable. You deserve to know where the ham and bacon you’re buying has come from and that it is not supporting lower welfare overseas producers at the expense of Australian farmers. That’s why we need clear and transparent labelling that lets shoppers make informed choices at the checkout.

Australian’s country of origin laws are currently being reviewed. World Animal Protection has made a submission to the review demanding clear labels for imported pork products like ham and bacon. You can help keep the pressure on the Government by signing our petition demanding clear country of origin labels today. Tell them you don’t want imported pork to be mystery meat.

What’s wrong with American pork imports?

Most Australian mother pigs are not kept in cages, in response to consumer demand. The pork industry in Australia supplies the fresh pork in our supermarkets and they’re doing the right thing by working on a phase-out of all cages. Mother pigs in the United States remain caged throughout the length of their pregnancy. They are in these cages for most of their lives. These cages mean that mother pigs are unable to turn around and laying down is difficult. They’re kept in a barren environment with no stimulation. It leads to both mental and physical suffering. These mother pigs are not given lives worth living.

The welfare of mother pigs isn’t the only reason proper country of origin labelling is important. A report in February 2018 found shocking hygiene failings have been discovered in some of the US’s biggest meat plants. At one factory, 48 pig carcasses were found to have fallen on the floor because of faulty equipment, leading to contamination with “black trolley grease, floor grime and bloody smears”.

Antibiotic use in North American farms is also much higher than in Europe and Australia. Unlike Australia, US farms are still permitted to use antibiotics that are deemed to be important for human health. They are used excessively as a band-aid solution to poor conditions. This can lead to antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria that can have significant impacts on human health.

Over the last six months, global attention has turned to the conditions in America, particularly those in meat processing plants. As of July, 13 processing plants in America that are authorised to export pork to Australia had experienced mass-outbreaks of COVID-19, and some were forced to close. Across the whole US meat industry, over 16,000 employees had been infected leading to 86 fatalities. The President signed an Executive Order requiring the facilities to continue operating, despite the risk of sickness to thousands of vulnerable workers.

This is the broken system currently supplying half of our processed pork products. Pork products coming from America need to be clearly labelled so shoppers can make informed choices. People who choose to eat pork should be able to choose products that support higher welfare, better human health and better conditions for workers.

Together, we can keep the pressure on to ensure the Government stops keeping Australians in the dark about the origins of the ham and bacon on our supermarket shelves.

Mother pig in sow stall

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