On the back of convincing the public that swine influenza can not be contracted through consuming pig meat, the pork industry now has to convince consumers that the industry is not unjustly cruel.

Chris Trengrove, chairman of New Zealand Pork, said the images of sows in sow stalls on TVNZ’s Sunday programme, which shocked Agriculture Minister David Carter so much he called for a review of the 2005 Code of Welfare for pigs to be a priority, reflected only 10 per cent of the New Zealand pork industry.

He said locally produced pork was grown under some of the most vigorous welfare rules and regulations in the world and by 2015, the New Zealand industry intended for sows to be in stalls for no more than four weeks, while Australia, which has a longer phase out period, will allow six.

Mr Trengrove said the industry needed time to work out alternatives to sow stalls as presently — according to recent research — it was still the safest place for the welfare of the weaning sow.

“Four weeks from weaning until four weeks after [sows] have a hormonal difference in how she acts with her peers.”

“Pigs are very hierarchical bullies. I have seen sows killed by other sows - they break each others’ backs and break hips.”

The United Kingdom was the only place where there was a ban on sow stalls, and that was to do with the land and climate in the south of England.

However, the eradication of the stalls still left the UK pork industry at less than half its previous size, because overseas, intensively farmed, cheaper meat from other European countries flooded the English market, Mr Trengrove said.

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