Swill feeding is the traditional name for the feeding of food scraps and other waste material to pigs. This practice has caused foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks overseas, including the catastrophic epidemic in the United Kingdom in 2001. Swill feeding, which was common in Australia in the 1950s, is now banned in all states, including New South Wales. Some food wastes have been categorised as ‘prohibited substances’, and it is against the law to feed them to pigs.

This Primefact answers the following questions:

• What is 'swill feeding'?
• Which foods are prohibited substances?
• Are there any food wastes that are not prohibited substances?
• Why are some foods prohibited substances?
• Why are the regulations so strict?
• What can I do?
• What is the penalty for feeding prohibited materials to pigs?