Steady farm-gate prices have yet to sway pig farmers to expand their piggeries as they wait on the potentially costly results of a new welfare draft code.
The pork industry group NZ Pork, proposed alternatives to the draft code for raising pigs written up by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (Nawac).
Proposals to ban farrowing crates or for pigs to spend no longer than 72 hours in a crate after nesting has been claimed by NZ Pork to be harmful to the industry if they go ahead in their entirety.
Pig farmers are facing many of the same challenges as other farmers, but not to the same extent as those relying on export markets.
Chief executive Brent Kleiss said reasonable demand for pig meat and steady prices might not be enough for farmers to expand.
"Some farmers will be looking at the idea of maybe increasing their supply ...whether they actually do that or sit where they are at the moment [we will see], given they are hedging their bets a bit with the economic downturn and people spending less and interest rates, which all farmers are dealing with.
"And of course there is the uncertainty of waiting for the outcome of a pig welfare code review.
"So they won’t want to be making too many big decisions around buildings and infrastructure and changes on farm until they hear what that means for their future."
The Nawac proposal included a more than 50% increase in space for growing pigs, the removal of farrowing crates, changes to the weaning age and practices designed to protect the health of piglets and sows.
