20 Aug 2024

A pig explainer

From Afternoons, 1:15 pm on 20 August 2024

Chances are the bacon you're salivating over doesn't come from New Zealand. In fact, 60 percent of the pork o nthe shelves is from overseas. And depending on country of origin, welfare standards for those pigs can differ quite a bit. 

So how does the industry work here, and what do we know about pigs and how to keep them happy?

Dr Kirsty Chidgey is a pig welfare scientist who lectures at Massey University. She also advises NZ Pork on welfare practices, and she joins Jesse on the show.

15 April 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia, Jössen: Piglets huddle at their mother's teats in an outdoor enclosure near Jössen in eastern Westphalia, Germany.  AFP

15 April 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia, Jössen: Piglets huddle at their mother's teats in an outdoor enclosure near Jössen in eastern Westphalia, Germany. AFP Photo: AFP