400 pigs burn to death in preventable tragedy

Farmwatch is appalled to hear of the deaths of 400 animals in a pig farm fire. Farmwatch have previously investigated this farm and have footage from within the shed which was destroyed by fire. The fire broke out in a Waikato piggery on Saturday night, killing the trapped pigs and destroying a major building. This was the second such fire at the farm with a 2005 fire killing 300 pigs. Both fires took place in farrowing sheds in which mothers are confined in crates, unable to turn around. Members of Farmwatch have been to the site of the blaze and seen the aftermath of the fire.

John Darroch, spokesperson for Farmwatch, said:

"This fire was both tragic and predictable, resulting from deliberate cost cutting on the part of the owners. Late last year I visited the shed that burnt down and saw derelict conditions. In the farrowing area, which was the site of the fire, heat lamps were being used inside what appeared to be home made plywood boxes. And despite the previous fire, no sprinklers or means of escape had been put in place to protect the pigs. It is distressing to think that some of the mother pigs I saw last year may have burnt to death in this blaze. I have investigated pig farms across the country and haven't seen sprinklers at any of them. This is typical of the industry as a whole, which is clearly putting profits ahead of animal welfare.

The Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy, is failing in his duties and bears some responsibility for the deaths of these animals. Currently there are no requirements for factory farms to have sprinkler systems. That combined with substandard heating fixtures makes these farms ticking time bombs and death traps for the animals inside them. The minister must take action immediately to ensure that another fire cannot take place on this or any other farm. I am calling for the Minister to come forward and publicly commit to making sure a similar tragedy cannot occur in future."

Farmwatch footage from within the shed which burnt down can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/100379857
Photos from the shed can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/93911830@N06/albums/72157645528468152

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