Sadly factory pig farming is growing in Ghana. WACPAW/EonA are busy making sure the same mistakes made in the west are not repeated.
The WACPAW/EonA team recently returned to Pretty Piper Pig Farm, after visiting it for the first time earlier in the summer. The purpose of today’s visit was to train farmhands, management, and slaughtermen in three key areas: pig behavior/intelligence, welfare-friendlier housing, and humane slaughter practices. It was an eye-opening experience for many—especially learning how pigs, as intelligent and social animals, thrive when allowed to root, forage, explore, and rest naturally.
Instead of painful practices like tail docking, we introduced practical, welfare-friendly solutions like providing more space, water points, and rooting opportunities to reduce stress and harmful behaviors.
We also demonstrated how to carry out emergency slaughter using a captive bolt stunner, ensuring pigs are unconscious before slaughter—an essential step toward minimizing suffering. Normally pigs are beaten on the head to kill them as there is no stunning equipment manufactured or easily accessible in Ghana (like the majority of the world’s countries).
The farm manager was so inspired, he requested one of our captive bolt stunners for the farm and invited us back to see their progress. We left feeling hopeful, knowing that every small change leads to better lives for animals with less suffering and that pigs at this farm would be rendered unconscious prior to slaughter in the future.
