Pigs in Pain
GAIA opposes the castration of piglets carried out without anaesthesia. This very painful procedure is carried out for economic reasons and should be prohibited by legislation.
GAIA’s campaign convinced the minister of animal welfare to establish a special working group of scientists, representatives of the pig farmers unions and representatives of GAIA. Unfortunately, the decision to stop castrating piglets without anaesthesia and to allow it only under anaesthesia by 2006 as a first step in order to replace castration altogether by immunoneutralisation by 2009, has not been implemented. This is due to the attitude of the pig farmers’ unions, who have done nothing to make progress.
GAIA does not accept this situation. In the meantime, the unnecessary suffering of a huge number of defenceless animals goes on. This must change.
