Keeping pigs as pets

Pigs are intelligent and social creatures, but you should think twice before purchasing one as a pet.

Under the ACT’s animal welfare legislation, pigs must be kept in accommodation that allows the pig to

• turn around, stand up and lie down without difficulty
• have a clean, comfortable and adequately drained place in which it can lie down
• maintain a comfortable temperature
• have outdoor access.

You must also comply with animal welfare and biosecurity laws, including getting a Property Identification Code (PIC).

There are no genuine miniature pig varieties in Australia — owners are often surprised when their ‘miniature’ piglet grows into a large adult pig. Adult pigs can be challenging to manage and, particularly in residential settings, may lead to animal nuisance complaints from neighbours.

Read more information on keeping pigs as pets.

Swill feeding

Feeding pigs swill containing meat, or a product that has come into contact with meat or meat products, is illegal in Australia due to the risk that it could introduce an exotic animal disease.

What is swill and why is it illegal to feed swill to pigs?

Swill is the traditional name for waste food fed to pigs, often as a slurry. Swill containing meat or product that has come into contact with meat or meat products is a ‘prohibited pig feed’. This includes:

• pies, sausage rolls, bacon and cheese rolls, pizza, salami and other delicatessen meats or table scraps
• household, commercial or industrial waste including restaurant food and discarded cooking oils
• anything that has been in contact with prohibited pig feed via collection, storage or transport in contaminated containers (such as meat trays and take-away food containers)

In Australia it is illegal to feed any product classified as ‘prohibited pig feed’ to pigs, this includes pet pigs and pigs kept on your property for your own consumption. Pig owners must also ensure that their pigs do not have accidental access to prohibited pig feed.

Feeding pigs prohibited pig feed is considered one of the most likely ways that an exotic animal disease such as Foot and mouth disease or African swine fever could be introduced into Australia.

What food can be fed to pigs?

Pigs may be fed:

• milk, milk products and milk by-products of Australian origin or legally imported into Australia for stockfeed use
• eggs
• dry meal made from meat, blood or bone processed by commercial hot rendering and purchased from a reputable produce store or feed merchant
• bakery food substances that do not contain, or have had contact with, meat or meat products
• fruit, vegetables and cereals.

If in doubt, only feed pigs quality assured, commercially available pig feed.

Responsible disposal of food waste

Businesses that prepare and sell food and those involved in the handling, transport and disposal of food waste must understand their legal responsibility to dispose of this waste appropriately.

Food waste that constitutes prohibited pig feed must not be disposed of in any way that would make it available for feeding to pigs.

Reporting swill feeding

If you suspect pigs are being fed prohibited pig feed, please contact Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

For further information

• Read the Swill feed factsheet from Australian Pork Limited
• Visit the Prohibited Pig Feed Compliance and Awareness Project from Animal Health Australia

Recording pig movements

All pigs, including pets, must be identified before they are moved.

All movements of pigs between properties with differing PICs must be recorded on the PigPass database within 2 days of arrival at the new property.

This includes:

• pet pigs
• pigs being given away
• pigs traded through online selling platforms such as Gumtree.

You must register with PigPass to access a PigPass National Vendor Declaration (NVD) and to record the movement of pigs on the PigPass database.