The brazilian pig industry can adopt european welfare standards: a critical analysis

Abstract

Animal welfare is an issue of growing concern worldwide. Since the 1960s, Europe has led the discussions on

On the Road to End Pig Pain: Knowledge and Attitudes of Brazilian Citizens Regarding Castration

“…Despite the importance of agriculture for the Brazilian economy, little is known about the attitudes of its citizens towards the production systems [ 36 ]. Although surgical castration without pain control is widely used in Brazil, a growing proportion of the farmers are moving to immunocastration [ 39 ], with support from large retailers and industry stakeholders (see [ 37 , 40 ]). One study showed that Brazilian citizens had low awareness about pig castration but, when informed about it, expressed negative attitudes due to the pain it causes to the animals [ 33 ].…”

Brazilian panorama of pig breeding sector: a cross-sectional study about specific aspects of biosecurity, facilities, management, feeding, and performance

“…However, the pig complex in the country still lives, even in a context where the organizational model becomes more business-like and linked to industry, with important differences in procedures, structure, management, and food and nutrition programs. With regard to housing issues, given the concern over European changes determined to ensure animal welfare, new investments and decisions of large complexes in the sector, in the collective housing of pregnant sows, are also highlighted, and implementation should be realized in the coming years (C. P. Dias, Silva, & Manteca, 2015).…”

Directionality and systemic governance : Lessons from Brazilian pig system transformations from the 1960s to date

“…In practice, this decision by the leading Brazilian pig industries reinforced the introduction of two EU animal welfare regulations in the Brazilian context: 1) Council Directive 98/58/EC (concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes); and 2) Council Directive 2008/120/EC (concerning laying down minimum standards for the protection of pigs) (Dias et al, 2018a). An assessment carried out by independent researchers on the implementation feasibility of both animal welfare directives showed that some characteristics of the Brazilian pig production would facilitate EU model adoption (Dias et al, 2015). They quoted the favourable climate and the abundance of natural resources, the availability of noble feed for pigs (such as maize and soya), and the high level of human resources linked to the pig industry, research institutions, and governmental organs (Dias et al, 2015).…”

“…An assessment carried out by independent researchers on the implementation feasibility of both animal welfare directives showed that some characteristics of the Brazilian pig production would facilitate EU model adoption (Dias et al, 2015). They quoted the favourable climate and the abundance of natural resources, the availability of noble feed for pigs (such as maize and soya), and the high level of human resources linked to the pig industry, research institutions, and governmental organs (Dias et al, 2015). They also listed 36 items that should be changed in Brazilian pig production (Dias et al, 2015).…”

“…They quoted the favourable climate and the abundance of natural resources, the availability of noble feed for pigs (such as maize and soya), and the high level of human resources linked to the pig industry, research institutions, and governmental organs (Dias et al, 2015). They also listed 36 items that should be changed in Brazilian pig production (Dias et al, 2015). These were split into four levels of complexity in the application of EU regulations in Brazil (low, light, moderate, and high).…”