Potential impact of the future pig welfare policy in Europe on the Spanish sector

Abstract

Castration in pig production is mainly performed to avoid boar taint and for management purposes. The European Commission is considering a future ban on surgical pig castration by 2018 which may affect markets and consumers preferences. The aim of this study was to assess the opinions and attitudes of Spanish stakeholders from the whole pork chain regarding this policy change. Four focus groups in Barcelona and Madrid with 26 participants were carried out with representatives of farmers, the meat industry, government institutions, retailers (including butchers), HORECA and consumers. In addition a face-to-face surveys with 127 butcheries were carried out mainly to assess the determining factors when purchasing fresh pig meat using the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). Results showed that a potential end of pig castration in Europe is not considered to have a significant effect on conventional pig production in Spain. However, concerns may arise due to the potential negative effect on high quality production systems where pig castration is fundamental and plays an important role.