August 18, 2010

Australian pork producers protest against Coles

Victorian pork producers have protested today about the double standard around Coles' new policy to only source fresh Australian pork from sow stall free environments by 2014.

The new Coles policy only applies to fresh pork which is supplied by Australian farmers. The policy does not apply to overseas pig producers who provide Australia with 70% of its processed pork, such as bacon and ham.

"These overseas producers in the USA, Canada and Denmark, who sell their bacon and ham to Coles, continue to use gestation stalls and show no intention of stopping. How can Coles pretend this policy is about animal welfare when they continue to import bacon and ham from these? It's a con and Aussie farmers and our consumers are the ones who lose out," said John Bourke, President of the VFF Pig Group.

"Coles' policy favours overseas producers whose animal welfare practices are almost certainly at a lower level. This is not a level playing field for Aussie farmers. Bacon, ham and fresh pork all come from the same pig. If Coles believes this move is about animal welfare, then they should ensure the same standards apply for all their suppliers, which includes overseas pig producers," Australian Pork Ltd (APL) chief executive Andrew Spencer said.

The VFF and APL argue the Coles policy poses a serious threat to the livelihoods of Australian pork producers. They are asking Coles to apply its policy to all pork-fresh and processed, local and imported.