9 January 2019
www.thevillagenews.co.za
21
Pig farmers taken to task by authorities Writer & Photographer Raphael da Silva
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ollowing a visit by the NSPCA (National Council of SPCAs in South Africa) and an offer by a commercial farmer to buy all the healthy animals, pig farmers from Hawston and Zwelihle this week have to either comply with warnings or face potential legal action. They also have the option of selling all or part of their stock at an agreed negotiated price, with an Overberg sanctuary offering to take the remaining sick or injured animals into care. These are the choices facing the 17 farmers one month after The Village NEWS first published a story about the inhumane conditions in which the animals were being kept on municipal land in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. At the same time, while the NSPCA is clearly holding the farmers accountable for the welfare of their pigs, the role that the municipality has played is increasingly being put under the spotlight by animal welfare organisations. “Some serious questions need to be asked of the municipality. Why is it that after nearly two years, this ‘temporary’ pig farm still exists? Why are they still on land that is inappropriate for pig farming? Complaints were directed to the municipality about the state of the pigs on numerous occasions, yet nothing was done until volunteers got involved after a serious public outcry. Why did they not act immediately?" asks Alda du Plooy, an animal rights activist. A report on the terrible conditions was first published in March 2017. A media report at the time quoted Municipal Manager Coenie Groenewald as saying: “The aforesaid place of safety where the pigs are housed is municipal land, but we are indemnified by the owners of the pigs of any responsibility.” The municipality said that they would be giving notice to the farmers to vacate the property within a reasonable period of time. If they did not comply, legal steps would be taken.
In September 2018, the conditions were once again brought to the attention of the municipality, specifically the Department of Local Economic Development (LED). Again, action was promised by the municipality but nothing was done. In mid-December, after receiving a call from a concerned resident, The Village NEWS went to visit the piggery project located on Overstrand Municipality property in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. The site was supposed to be used for the temporary housing of 70 pigs from Zwelihle and Hawston, but nearly two years later was still operating, with the majority of the approximately 200 animals suffering due to a lack of food, water, shade, dry ground and, in some cases, adequate space. After the conditions at the site became known last month, several members of the public immediately volunteered to assist the animals by providing food, water and bales of hay. A local vet who was alerted to their plight went to the site to treat the animals. Many of them were sick or had injuries, and a number of pigs have since died. The vet has written a report with a recommendation for the NSPCA, which is legally empowered by Parliament to take action. Michele Pickover, Director at the EMS Foundation bluntly says, “Pigs have sophisticated cognitive abilities. Even more so than dogs or three-year-old human children. They are social and playful, protective of their young and form strong bonds with other pigs. They are clean animals. It is therefore shocking that the Overstrand Municipality is actively facilitating severe cruelty and is clearly responsible for promoting the brutal persecution of these pigs.
ready tyrannised pigs as a supposed way of assisting other marginalised beings. There are definitely more humane ways to create sustainable livelihoods.” The key purpose of the EMS Foundation is to alleviate and end suffering, raise public awareness and lobby and empower, provide dignity and promote the rights and interests of vulnerable groups, particularly children, the elderly and wild animals. Questions are also being asked about the financial viability of raising pigs at this location, given the farmers’ reliance on emergency food aid. Their commitment is also being examined since, with the exception of one or two, most are part-time farmers and either employed by the municipality itself or by other companies. Some also have their own, in some cases very successful, businesses. A meeting has been organised for 9 January 2019 with the farmers, Overstrand Municipality, NSPCA and animal welfare organisations. To read more about the outcome of the meeting, follow us online at www.thevillgenews.co.za Visit us on www.thevillagenews.co.za for more stories.
“We need a kinder, more just society for all animals – human and nonhuman – if we are serious about addressing societal violence and environmental degradation. We fail to understand why the municipality instead chooses to heap misery on al-
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Conditions at the piggery were brought to the attention of the public in early December (below). The plight of the neglected pigs improved significantly after volunteers intervened and ensured that the pigs were provided with adequate water, food and straw. One of the sows (top photo) gave birth to 12 piglets just after Christmas.
