'Save Our Bacon' petition to industry inquiry has 500 submissions in days

A National Party petition, dubbed Save Our Bacon, launched on Friday and called for submissions against an inquiry that was launched in 2023 on farmed pig welfare in Victoria.

The inquiry aims to consider existing regulatory frameworks in the industry and ability to promote pig welfare outcomes, the most common methods to stun pigs before slaughter, and the outcome of phasing out sow stalls.

It will also investigate current breeding and housing practices, compare standards internationally for best practice standards and any other relevant matters.

National Party deputy leader and shadow minister for agriculture Emma Kealy said they believed the inquiry was a guise to "shut down" the pig industry.

"The pig industry is already heavily regulated and in world's best practice to ensure the welfare of pigs is first and foremost when they're being grown but also when they're in the process of being slaughtered and put on our supermarket shelves," she said.

"The concern is that there is only one driver for this inquiry, and that it is animal extremists who want to see a closure of pig farming and pig processing in Victoria."

The inquiry was prompted by activism group The Farm Transparency Project's footage of carbon dioxide stunning at a Benalla slaughterhouse in 2023.

Ms Kealy said she believed there was no evidence that any unforeseen harm had been done to pigs.

"Even the RSPCA agree carbon dioxide stunning is the best practice," she said.

Ms Kealy said they were concerned about submissions with misinformation or potential international videos submitted as evidence against Victoria's pork industry.

"That's why we started the Save Our Bacon campaign," she said.

"I think generally Victorians are very much aware that they want animals treated well and they want to make sure that they have got them available to them.

"They know our farming practices are some of the world's best and we do an amazing job at producing animals."

Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell said the inquiry was set up through welfare concerns and had no intention of shutting down the pork industry.

Ms Purcell is also the chair of the inquiry, but said her comments were strictly coming from her position as an Animal Justice Party MP.

"We know over five years ago the industry committed to a voluntary phase out of sow stalls which have been banned in many places in the world," she said.

"There have been producers who haven't complied to that phase out.

"[The inquiry] will involve stakeholders from across the entire spectrum."

She said the terms of reference were "very clear" and if the pork industry wanted to continue and thrive, it would need to listen to Victorian communities about animal welfare concerns.

"It's important to note that it's very easy for the Nationals to say it's a sham and a set up by animal extremists, but much of the concern is about practices," she said.

"A lot of pork producers pulled out of using that abattoir until they commit to using a more humane stunning method.

"It's not concerns from who they'd like to say, like vegans and activists, but from the pork industry."

Meanwhile, The Farm Transparency Project is also urging people to make submissions to the inquiry, after releasing a virtual tour of a Victorian piggery.

Farm Transparency Project executive director Chris Delforce said he had spent 12 years investigating Australian pig farms and slaughterhouses.

"In that time, I've entered and filmed inside almost 100 piggeries and dozens of slaughterhouses," he said.

"In every one of these places, I have seen pain, suffering and death on an unthinkable scale."

Australian Pork Limited (APL) released a statement which said it will use the inquiry as an opportunity to reinforce animal care is at the core of all pork businesses.

"As the representative Research and Development Corporation and peak body for the Australian pork industry, Australian Pork Limited believes that the current Inquiry is unnecessary," a statement said.

APL said it would showcase Victorian pork producers' sustainable and ethical practices, which was included in its comprehensive submission to the inquiry.

It said the business was committed to collaborating with policymakers, reputable animal welfare organisations and stakeholders to develop effective and evidence-based policies.

"From welfare to sustainability, we aim to do things better day after day," the statement said.

"That's the story we'll be telling at the inquiry."