ASA Adjudication on Compassion in World Farming

Ad

A national newspaper ad for an animal charity was headed "What noise does a piglet make when its teeth are cut off with pliers - without anaesthetic? Same as you." Next to the text was an image of a piglet. The body copy stated "Today, billions of animals are suffering unnecessary pain as a result of intensive factory farming ... Please make a donation to Compassion in World Farming today. At the bottom of the ad was a donation slip.

Issue

The complainant, who had carried out teeth trimming and maintained it did not cause piglets distress if done properly, challenged whether the ad was misleading.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) said the teeth of young piglets contained nerves and that tooth clipping caused acute pain if performed without anaesthesia.  They said that routine teeth clipping was banned in the UK but was common practice in intensive pig farming. They said it was usually carried out without anaesthesia or analgesia and that tooth clipping was completely unnecessary and could be avoided with good farming practice.   

CIWF said scientific research had shown that young piglets were capable of feeling pain. They said the Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare in its 2007 opinion on boars, sows and unweaned piglets had concluded that tooth clipping was associated with pain. They said the EU Scientific Veterinary Committee concluded in their 1997 report that the feeling of pain in young or adult pigs when tissue was damaged was similar to that which humans would feel.

They said that research by Noonan et al (1994) and Rand et al (2002) categorised the vocalisation of piglets in two categories, the squeal and the grunt. They said the squeal (also referred to as a howl) was an intense and strident vocalisation, whilst the grunt was less strident and more guttural and more frequent than a squeal.  

They said that research also showed that the mean frequency of squealing during tooth clipping was 0.49 squeals per second and the average time taken to complete the procedure was around four seconds. They said that grunting was observed in piglets that were handled but did not have their teeth clipped.  CIWF said the patterns of vocalisation observed during those studies indicated that grunting occurred as a general response to distress whilst squealing could be considered a more extreme response to pain and distress caused by tooth clipping.

CIWF said tooth clipping was banned in two key pig producing countries in the European Union, Denmark and Germany. They said routine tooth clipping and grinding were banned according to EU regulations. They said that despite the ban, The British Pig Executive (BPEX) reported that 57% of pig farmers clip the teeth of all their pigs. They said that tooth clipping was banned or restricted by higher welfare schemes, and was only allowed by the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme with special permission.  They said that where permission was given, only the sharp points of the teeth could be removed and grinding was strongly encouraged as an alternative.

CIWF provided case studies of agricultural practice at farms where tooth clipping was not carried out and sent a letter from a qualified veterinarian currently working as a researcher at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences in Vienna. The veterinarian stated that it was her view that tooth clipping should be banned because it caused inflammation to the pulp cavity in 92% of clipped animals, splitting of clipped teeth and subsequent inflammation of the jaw, as well as pain and distress.

Assessment

Not upheld

We considered the evidence sent by CIWF.  We noted that evidence showed tooth clipping for piglets was, according to the EU Scientific Veterinary Committee, associated with pain. We noted that the procedure was often carried out without anaesthesia, and that when a pig was picked up and its teeth clipped it was likely to squeal, rather than grunt.  We accepted that squealing was in this context a reliable indicator of distress or pain in piglets. We noted the evidence indicated piglets' teeth contained nerves and that their pain reception system was sufficiently similar to other mammals for the EU Scientific Veterinary Committee to conclude that it was very likely that the feeling of pain in young pigs as a result of tissue damage would be similar to other mammals, including humans. We therefore concluded the claim "What noise does a piglet make when its teeth are cut off with pliers - without anaesthetic? Same as you" in the context of the ad was not misleading.  

We investigated the ad under CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation) and 7.1 (Truthfulness) but did not find it in breach.

Action

No further action necessary.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)