The National Pig Association has launched a campaign designed to prevent disease outbreaks, as a result of confusion over calls to allow feeding certain waste to pigs. The group claims that moves by environmental and waste-reduction campaigners who are challenging the EU ban on feeding kitchen and catering waste to pigs "may be sending confusing signals to hobby pig-keepers".

Concern over the potential implications of the challenge has led NPA to launch the 'Don't Kill Me With Kindness' campaign, which explains that feeding kitchen and catering waste carries a penalty of up to two years in jail because of the disease risk the process carries.

NPA argues that the 2001 foot-and-mouth epidemic was caused by feeding inadequately treated catering waste to pigs. The outbreak took nine months to bring under control, during which time ten million pigs, sheep and cattle were slaughtered, and cost the country £8 billion. However, supporters of the Pig Idea campaign maintain that, so long as waste is properly treated, feeding certain waste foods to pigs could massively reduce the environmental impact of the food industry and reduce the amount of edible grains fed to farm animals. They argue that crops used to feed animals would be better used to feed hungry people.

As a result of the FMD outbreak feeding raw or cooked waste to pigs – even vegetable waste – is illegal under European law, including waste from household kitchens and catering waste. It is permissible to feed pigs fruit and vegetables direct from the garden or allotment, but feeding waste from the kitchen is illegal — even raw or cooked left-over vegetables, as these may have come into contact with raw or cooked meats. 

Responding to NPA's concerns when the Pig Idea campaign was launched in June this year, Compassion in World Farming's Emma Slawinski told Farming Online "It is of utmost importance that caution is taken and that the correct biosecurity arrangements are in place. My understanding is that the campaign is advocating heat treatment to process the food waste, so cooking it. Although we should obviously take all the necessary precautions, this caution shouldn't stand in the way of what is an excellent idea and a sustainable approach to farming."

Even so, NPA general manager Dr. Zoe Davies said on Tuesday (3rd September), "Whilst NPA understands why people may think feeding food waste makes perfect sense, we want everyone who keeps pigs to follow the law to the letter because we feel that the stakes are too high."

"Any outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever or African swine fever will mean the slaughter of farm animals, a ban on moving animals in at-risk areas, and the loss of export markets," she added. "Rather than take unacceptable risks by feeding catering waste to pigs, we think it is more sensible to tackle waste further up the chain, so that far less of it is wasted at manufacturing, retail and household level."