Latest news with #DrHelenLambert
The Guardian
13-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Calls to ban restrictive pens for pregnant pigs after analysis of footage from Devon farm
The use of restrictive pens to temporarily house pregnant pigs in the UK severely compromises their welfare can traumatise them and should be banned, experts have said. Analysis by Animal Equality UK of footage collected from a farm in Devon, England, showed that three mother pigs in farrowing crates spent more than 90% of their time lying down, with one not standing up at all for a day. On average, between them they bit the bars (a sign of extreme stress) more than once an hour. The farm is part of the Red Tractor scheme, used to mark food produced to a 'high standard' and supplies Tesco. Animal Equality UK says it is illustrative of the wider problem with farrowing crates, with more than 200,000 sows confined in them each year in the UK. Dr Helen Lambert, who is on the stakeholder advisory board for the Animal Welfare Research Network, was one of several experts who analysed the footage, which was collected continuously across five days. She said: 'All three pigs spent most of their time lying down – considerably more time than postpartum pigs, who can move more freely. Throughout the footage, the sows can be seen engaging in two key stereotypic behaviours: sham chewing and bar-biting… They are usually born out of frustration and stress due to an animal's inability to perform normal, instinctive behaviours.' 'The mental state of these three pigs is severely compromised.' Animal Equality UK's report says sows will spend nearly a quarter of their lives (22%) in farrowing crates before, during and after birth when they are lactating. The crates supposedly prevent sows crushing their crushing piglets by restricting their movement, but have been banned in several countries because of animal welfare concerns. Prof Steve McCulloch, fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, also reviewed Animal Equality UK's findings and said: 'The principal 'benefit' of farrowing crates is not to reduce piglet mortality, but to minimise production costs … Breeding sows are very likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder once they have been removed from the farrowing crates at weaning.' Animal Equality UK said the footage also showed one pig did not touch the enrichment provided (a plastic stick or wooden block) during the five-day period, none of the pigs were able to walk, root, or nest and the lights were on continuously. The National Pig Association (NPA) and Red Tractor both said they were supportive of producers moving away from conventional farrowing systems towards flexible ones whereby the crate is opened once the piglets are more robust. An NPA spokesperson said: 'This transition must be within a sensible timeframe and supported by the market and/or by infrastructure grants in order to make it viable for producers and not push businesses out of pig production.' But the report says such systems are 'ethically indefensible' in failing to address core welfare issues and piglet mortality is often higher in 'flexible' pens than traditional crates. Abigail Penny, the executive director of Animal Equality UK, said: 'Cages must be banned. Forcing intelligent mother pigs to eat, sleep, and defecate in a highly cramped space is unimaginably cruel. Such extreme confinement takes a terrible toll on the animals, who – unable to escape – inevitably become hopeless and traumatised.' A Tesco spokesperson said: 'We take animal welfare matters extremely seriously and immediately suspended the farm when we became aware of this footage last year. We have worked closely with the supplier and only allowed the farm to return into our supply once both Red Tractor and our specialist agriculture team were satisfied that robust action had been taken. The farm continues to be monitored by our supplier to ensure conditions have improved.' WJ Watkins and Son, which owns Cross Farm in Holsworthy, Devon, where the filming took place, was also approached for comment.
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Surrey teens find healthy living too expensive, study finds
Teenagers in Surrey face barriers to living a healthy lifestyle including run down facilities and the cost of nutritious foods, according to a of Surrey researchers found the cost of sports clubs, equipment, healthy food and transport are among the issues for young people, even in affluent areas of the study also found that teenage girls continue to see sexism, including being ridiculed for their appearance and labelled negatively for playing sports traditionally seen as "for boys", as another roadblock to Helen Lambert, senior lecturer in public health nutrition, said the research "highlights systemic issues beyond individual choices". The study, called understanding barriers to health behaviours in 13–17-year-olds: A whole systems approach in the context of obesity, was funded by Surrey County Council and published in journal featured 27 participants aged between 12 and 16 and interviewed a further 35 people working in either education or youth found that young people often saw healthy food options in schools as too expensive, instead opting for cheaper, less nutritious people said school meals "aren't very healthy" and "really overpriced" compared to options such as supermarket meal less affluent areas of Surrey, sports facilities were also often found to be "run-down or non-existent", limiting opportunities for working with young people said there was a lack of training to help young people with weight management or specialist help with Jane Ogden, Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Surrey, said: "We can't simply tell teenagers to 'eat better and exercise more' - there are significant, structural issues that need to be addressed at both a community and societal level."By spotlighting these barriers, we can start creating a fairer and more supportive environment that will help young people in Surrey access healthier choices and have an opportunity to thrive."
