Consumers who buy 100% New Zealand pork can be confident that it comes from pigs born and raised to the world’s high animal welfare standards using sustainable farming practices.

This is not the case with all pork sold in New Zealand. New Zealand imports pork from around 25 countries, which means around 60% of the pork consumed in New Zealand is from overseas. All these countries use farming practices that in some respects do not meet New Zealand’s animal welfare standards or are in fact illegal in this country. We have no control over this as World Trade Organisation rules don’t allow countries to discriminate based on animal welfare standards.

Imported product may be cheaper than 100% New Zealand pork, reflecting the differences across countries such as animal husbandry practices, like use of sow stalls, fair wages for workers and environmental practices.