Animal activists say Dáil bill to be 'catastrophic' for pig sector
A group of animal activists have said a new bill to be introduced in the Dáil by non-government TDs today (Tuesday, July 1), will have a "catastrophic effect" on pig farming in Ireland if passed.
Although the National Animal Rights Association (NARA) acknowledges that the bill is unlikely to become law, the group said it nonetheless constitutes a "win-win" in its campaign to ban pig farming, as even if the bill does not pass, the group believes "the public will rally behind its campaign" as a result.
The bill will be introduced in the Dáil by People before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy. It is titled 'Animal Health and Welfare (Welfare of Pigs) Bill 2025'.
The bill, co-signed by Murphy's party colleague Ruth Coppinger, will ban sow stalls, farrowing crates, and what the NARA claims are "mutilations", including tail-docking, teeth clipping, and castration.
NARA spokesperson Laura Broxson commented: "It's a welcome first step towards banning the industry entirely, but our campaign won't stop until pig farming ceases to exist.
Broxson also claimed that its campaign to ban pig farming has public support.
"Through our weekly outreach events, we know that the banning of sow stalls, farrowing crates and mutilations would be something the majority of the public would be in favour of," she said.
"Although we fully expect Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, and Sinn Féin to vote against the bill at Second Stage, we wonder how they will handle the optics and aftermath of that with the public.
"In our view, this first legislative step will be a win-win result for the end goal of our campaign. If it passes, it will have catastrophic effect on the pig industry, and it if it doesn't pass, the public will rally behind our campaign to ensure it does next time," Broxson claimed.
"So no matter what happens, we will be escalating our campaign from this point onwards," she added.
The NARA are a group of activists that were responsible for what they called an "undercover investigation" on two pig farms last year, with the group claiming that it witnessed cases of "cruelty" and "neglect".
At the time of releasing the footage obtained from this "investigation", Broxson said: "We want the entire pig industry shut down, and not over a lengthy transitional period. It needs to be shut down immediately."
