Types of Farming
Free Range
Free range means that pigs are kept permanently outdoors for their entire life with shelter from the elements provided, furnished with bedding.
Free range pork production consists of outdoor paddocks, which include rooting and/or foraging areas, wallows (where state regulations and seasonal climates permit) and kennels/huts for shelter. The huts allow the animals to seek shelter from environmental extremes. They also provide additional protection for the piglets when very young.
The weaners, grower pigs and the sows, from which they have been bred, have access to paddocks at all times for their entire life. Shelter, food and water must be provided and all pigs must be able to move freely in and out of the shelter and move freely around the paddocks, unless required to be confined for short amounts of time for routine husbandry or diagnostic procedures to be conducted. All pigs raised under free range conditions must comply with the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals - Pigs (2007) to show compliance with state animal welfare regulations and use good land management practices as per the requirements of the National Environmental Guidelines for Piggeries (2nd Edition, 2010) for outdoor rotational piggeries to comply with their state environmental regulatory requirements.
The Australian Pork Industry Quality Assurance program (APIQê) provides verification of the free range descriptor through standards. For more information on APIQê go to www.apiq.com.au