News animal welfare
NVWA will pay extra attention to welfare in pigsty
From now on, more attention will be paid to pen enrichment during inspections by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). This is an initiative of the European Commission and it is intended to stimulate the curious behavior of pigs.
According to the rules, pigs must have enough equipment to play and research; according to the rules, only a chain and ball is not enough. For loft enrichment, 9 requirements must be met. The safety of the loft enrichment is very important here.
Sow farmers are also checked extra for pen enrichment. In the last week before farrowing, the nesting material should be in good order. For example straw, but also a jute bag that hangs above the head of the sow.
Penalties
The NVWA will check whether the rules are being complied with from June. If these are not complied with, the pig farmer will first receive a written warning. Then a re-inspection follows. The costs for this re-inspection are for the pig farmer himself.
Should a pig farmer the rules If you still do not comply, this may be deducted from the payment of any European income support. In addition, from September, the NVWA will have the power to issue administrative fines if a pig farmer does not comply with the regulations regarding pen enrichment.
Tim Roetman
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