The GCAW Pig Welfare Working Group is currently reviewing the proposed Pig Minimum Standards (PMS), developed and published by a collective of non-governmental organisations across Europe.
The GCAW Secretariat has conducted an initial assessment of these proposed standards and is providing members with guidance on the practicality of their adoption. This guidance considers the PMS in relation to legislative frameworks, existing on-farm practices and the current availability of alternatives to these, the potential impact on product cost and quality for consumers, and how their adoption may help support or conflict with other aspects of sustainability commitments.
Further research into mapping alignment of the proposed PMS to existing global assurance standards is also underway, to identify whether the elements called for are covered by existing auditing and verification processes.
GCAW plans to engage more widely with stakeholders across the food industry globally on this issue.
