Project 1882 calls for the end of pig tail docking

Tail docking means that the tails of piglets are cut off without anaesthesia, causing them great pain both during and after the procedure. Although routine tail docking of pigs was banned at the EU level over thirty years ago, reports from the European Commission show that it is still common practice in many member states. Project 1882, along with more than twenty other organizations, is now calling on the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) and the European Association of Porcine Health Management (EAPHM) to take further action to stop pig tail docking.  
 
– The fact that pig tail docking is still so common in the EU is completely unacceptable, but the veterinary sector has the power to change this, says Benny Andersson, CEO of Project 1882.   

Tail docking is used to prevent pigs from biting each other’s tails, a harmful behaviour that arises partly due to how pigs in animal factories are kept. Deprived of the opportunity to express their strong need to root and explore their environment, pigs experience stress and frustration, which can lead to abnormal behaviours such as tail biting. In confined spaces, their natural exploratory instincts are redirected toward their pen mates’ tails, often causing serious injury and pain. Providing pigs with straw and larger living spaces significantly reduces the risk of tail biting. 

– The underlying problem is that pigs are confined in crowds on hard floors with nothing to do. Cutting off the tails of pigs does not solve that problem, on the contrary, it creates yet another one in these cruel factory farms, says Benny Andersson. 

Project 1882 calls for:   

• The veterinary organizations FVE and EAPHM to urge pig farmers, authorities in EU member states and the European Commission, to enforce EU legislation on pig tail docking without delay 
• The European Commission immediate action to ensure the enforcement of the ban on pig tail docking 

• Strengthened animal welfare legislation for pigs at EU level:   

  • a ban on keeping pigs in cages 

  • the right to outdoor access for all pigs  

  • a ban on the painful carbon dioxide stunning of pigs at slaughter  

  • a ban on routine surgical castration of piglets 

Project 1882 works to dismantle factory farming and pushes for a shift towards plant-based food production.