Latest news with #AnimalWelfareAct1999
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
SAFE: Proposed Welfare Code Betrays Animals And The Law
Press Release – SAFE For Animals The animal rights organisation says the code legitimises inherently harmful practices – including mud farming, feedlots, and painful procedures like castration and tail docking without pain relief – while continuing to allow animals to suffer without … SAFE is demanding that the Ministry for Primary Industries' proposed Code of Welfare for Sheep and Beef Cattle be scrapped, calling it a legal shield for cruelty that fails to meet even the most basic obligations under the Animal Welfare Act 1999. The animal rights organisation says the code legitimises inherently harmful practices – including mud farming, feedlots, and painful procedures like castration and tail docking without pain relief – while continuing to allow animals to suffer without access to shelter. 'If this code is accepted in its current form, it would effectively become a manual for animal cruelty,' says SAFE CEO Debra Ashton. SAFE warns that the code is not an isolated failure, but a symptom of a broken regulatory system that routinely favours industry convenience over animals' needs, experiences, and rights. 'We've engaged in good faith for years, but this draft proves the system can't be trusted. It's time to draw a line,' says Ashton. The organisation has written to NAWAC Chair Dr Matthew Stone, MPI Director of Animal Health and Welfare Carolyn Guy, Minister for Agriculture Todd McClay, and Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard, urging them to abandon the draft and take urgent action to address these systemic failures. 'It's a betrayal of our welfare law and the animals it's meant to protect.' SAFE's full statement reads: Proposed Code of Welfare Entrenches Cruelty and Undermines Animal Welfare Law The proposed Code of Welfare for Sheep and Beef Cattle, currently open for public consultation, represents a profound failure of New Zealand's animal welfare system. Rather than lifting standards or upholding the Animal Welfare Act 1999, this code would entrench practices that cause widespread suffering – including painful procedures without pain relief, intensive confinement in mud farms and feedlots, and a diluted shelter standard that puts animals' lives at risk in extreme weather. SAFE rejects the premise that this code provides meaningful guidance for compliance with the Animal Welfare Act. It does not. Instead, it offers legal cover to inherently harmful farming systems and practices that cause serious and avoidable suffering. For that reason, SAFE will not be participating in the consultation process for a code that attempts to sanitise cruelty. When animals are confined on mud farms, concrete, or barren feedlots, they are stripped of their most basic expressions of life – grazing, playing, resting comfortably, ruminating, and relating to one another. These are not abstract ideals, but the everyday needs of sheep and cattle. Codes of welfare are intended to support our animal welfare legislation — not undermine it. If this code is adopted, it will set a dangerous precedent: where cruelty is legitimised, public expectations are ignored, and the intent of the Animal Welfare Act is effectively nullified. This failure is not isolated. In 2023, the Regulations Review Committee recommended a prompt and substantive review of how secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act is developed – and whether existing instruments, particularly codes of welfare, are consistent with the purpose and intent of the Act. Almost two years have passed without action. It must now be prioritised to ensure that regulation genuinely reflects the law and protects the animals it exists to serve. SAFE is calling for the proposed Code of Welfare for Sheep and Beef Cattle to be scrapped. The code must be rewritten in full alignment with the Animal Welfare Act — not shaped to prioritise profit, productivity, or convenience over animals' wellbeing and legal rights. We urge the Government and the public to reject this code and demand a future where animal welfare law is not just symbolic but lived. It's time to build a system that reflects what the Animal Welfare Act already affirms: that animals are not merely commodities to be managed, but sentient beings with needs, feelings, experiences, and intrinsic worth.
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
SAFE: Proposed Welfare Code Betrays Animals And The Law
SAFE is demanding that the Ministry for Primary Industries' proposed Code of Welfare for Sheep and Beef Cattle be scrapped, calling it a legal shield for cruelty that fails to meet even the most basic obligations under the Animal Welfare Act 1999. The animal rights organisation says the code legitimises inherently harmful practices - including mud farming, feedlots, and painful procedures like castration and tail docking without pain relief - while continuing to allow animals to suffer without access to shelter. "If this code is accepted in its current form, it would effectively become a manual for animal cruelty," says SAFE CEO Debra Ashton. SAFE warns that the code is not an isolated failure, but a symptom of a broken regulatory system that routinely favours industry convenience over animals' needs, experiences, and rights. "We've engaged in good faith for years, but this draft proves the system can't be trusted. It's time to draw a line," says Ashton. The organisation has written to NAWAC Chair Dr Matthew Stone, MPI Director of Animal Health and Welfare Carolyn Guy, Minister for Agriculture Todd McClay, and Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard, urging them to abandon the draft and take urgent action to address these systemic failures. "It's a betrayal of our welfare law and the animals it's meant to protect." SAFE's full statement reads: Proposed Code of Welfare Entrenches Cruelty and Undermines Animal Welfare Law The proposed Code of Welfare for Sheep and Beef Cattle, currently open for public consultation, represents a profound failure of New Zealand's animal welfare system. Rather than lifting standards or upholding the Animal Welfare Act 1999, this code would entrench practices that cause widespread suffering - including painful procedures without pain relief, intensive confinement in mud farms and feedlots, and a diluted shelter standard that puts animals' lives at risk in extreme weather. SAFE rejects the premise that this code provides meaningful guidance for compliance with the Animal Welfare Act. It does not. Instead, it offers legal cover to inherently harmful farming systems and practices that cause serious and avoidable suffering. For that reason, SAFE will not be participating in the consultation process for a code that attempts to sanitise cruelty. When animals are confined on mud farms, concrete, or barren feedlots, they are stripped of their most basic expressions of life - grazing, playing, resting comfortably, ruminating, and relating to one another. These are not abstract ideals, but the everyday needs of sheep and cattle. Codes of welfare are intended to support our animal welfare legislation -- not undermine it. If this code is adopted, it will set a dangerous precedent: where cruelty is legitimised, public expectations are ignored, and the intent of the Animal Welfare Act is effectively nullified. This failure is not isolated. In 2023, the Regulations Review Committee recommended a prompt and substantive review of how secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act is developed - and whether existing instruments, particularly codes of welfare, are consistent with the purpose and intent of the Act. Almost two years have passed without action. It must now be prioritised to ensure that regulation genuinely reflects the law and protects the animals it exists to serve. SAFE is calling for the proposed Code of Welfare for Sheep and Beef Cattle to be scrapped. The code must be rewritten in full alignment with the Animal Welfare Act -- not shaped to prioritise profit, productivity, or convenience over animals' wellbeing and legal rights. We urge the Government and the public to reject this code and demand a future where animal welfare law is not just symbolic but lived. It's time to build a system that reflects what the Animal Welfare Act already affirms: that animals are not merely commodities to be managed, but sentient beings with needs, feelings, experiences, and intrinsic worth. Notes The Ministry for Primary Industries is accepting public submissions on the Sheep and Beef Cattle Code of Welfare from May 14 - July 15, 2025. In July 2023, following multiple complaints on the integrity of codes of welfare, the Regulations Review Committee recommended a prompt and substantive review of the process for developing secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act.
Otago Daily Times
21-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Peacock issue unsolved
It has been my pleasure to come to know a man called Bob Smith. We share a love of birds and I've gone to him for advice on numerous occasions. My grandchildren enjoy visiting the aviary and have been spoilt with a trip out the back to see birds nesting and getting a peacock feather. Bob has looked after the Gore aviary for 27 years. Birds are his passion and he devotes himself to keeping them healthy. He is well respected among the bird community and has a great knowledge of many different species. I've had experience with peacocks running free near Gore. We all like to think of them enjoying their freedom and living their best life. The reality is they are killed on the roads, their young are slaughtered by predators and they struggle for food in the winter months. They can fly over deer fences and upset people by roosting in their sheds and pooping everywhere. Along comes a lady from Invercargill with her little tick sheet. She stands outside the Gore aviary and decides she is not happy with the way the peacocks are housed. She complains to the council and suddenly the peacocks have to go. The council stress that the peacocks will go to a good home, but Bob is just told to get rid of them. They could easily have enlarged the peacock enclosure and had actually measured it out, but choose to do nothing. The vets thought the enclosure should be bigger, but acknowledged the birds were not showing any sign of stress. Bob has had the peacocks for 12 years and the male has known no other life. The cages are kept spotless, the birds are fed greens each day from Bob's own garden and they are well looked after. The council has undermined and completely disrespected a good man who knows far more than they do about looking after birds. REPLY — The Gore District Council has worked closely with Bob over the years, and has greatly valued his support with the aviary. The physical structure of the aviary has changed over the years, with the location of different birds being moved around and enclosure sizes changing. With the peacocks, we have received a number of concerns, raised by various people, over many years and the SPCA became involved in 2024 and highlighted that the peacock enclosure was not big enough for a bird of that size. It was not possible to enlarge the enclosure to a suitable size, due to the constraints created by nearby protected trees, without significant cost, and/or removing other birds housed in the aviary. The SPCA has the authority under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 to enforce minimum standards for the care and treatment of animals, and as such, Gore District Council was required to act. After consulting with a vet, rehoming them was the best option for the peacocks. We explored possibilities for re-homing the peacocks, but ultimately, once it became clear the peacocks could not stay in their enclosure for their own wellbeing, we left the decision on their future home up to Bob, who has looked after them for many years. — Gore District Council parks and recreation manager Keith McRobie
Scoop
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Duck Shooting Is Not Tradition – It's Time Aotearoa Faced The Truth
Press Release – Animal Justice Party AJP Calls for Immediate Ban on Duck Shooting as New Season Opens in Aotearoa. The Animal Justice Party (AJP) is once again calling for an immediate ban on duck shooting across New Zealand. As duck shooting season opens, AJP urges New Zealanders to stop and reflect on a practice that continues each year with little public scrutiny – despite its cruelty, its harm to native species, and its outdated nature. General Secretary Danette Wereta is calling on New Zealanders to truly think about what's happening 'Every year, men dress up in costume, take their small children out and kill ducks for fun. We don't stop to think about how strange and disturbing that actually is. We pass it off as culture, as tradition, as 'sport'. And we excuse it with throwaway comments like 'population control' – as if those words magically justify shooting sentient beings out of the sky. If we really cared about population dynamics, is this the best method we've got? And are ducks even the issue when our land and waterways are being polluted and destroyed by intensive land use? Let's be honest – the ducks aren't the problem.' Numerous studies have raised concerns about the emotional and psychological impact of exposing children to hunting. A review in the Journal of Social Issues (Arluke & Hafferty, 1996) links early exposure to violence against animals with desensitisation and diminished empathy. Other behavioural research indicates that participation in animal killing activities may increase aggression in children and decrease their capacity for compassion toward animals and people alike (Ascione, 2005). Teaching children to view violence against animals as fun, celebratory, or normal can severely distort their understanding of empathy, emotional regulation, and respect for life. Ducks are intelligent animals who form deep bonds. They can mourn the loss of a mate. Many aren't killed cleanly – they're maimed, left to suffer in pain, or die slowly from wounds. It goes against the Animal Welfare Act 1999, yet every year it's allowed to continue to appease a few. The impact of duck shooting also extends far beyond the targeted birds. Wereta recently spoke at Environment Canterbury council 'When shots are fired at Te Waihora, every bird experiences the impact—whether it's the target or not. Gunfire, the presence of hunting parties, and disruption of habitat cause stress, fear, and disturbance to all species—many of whom are endangered or threatened. You cannot create a sanctuary for some birds while allowing others to be shot for sport in the same space.' Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora is home to more than 158 bird species—133 of which are native or endemic. New Zealand is lagging behind. Western Australia banned duck shooting in 1990, New South Wales in 1995, and Queensland in 2005. And if that isn't enough—Avian influenza outbreaks overseas show the risk of transmission from wild ducks to dairy herds and even humans—something New Zealand must take seriously. Duck shooting creates unnecessary exposure pathways, especially concerning for the dairy industry and public health. Even Minister Hoggard has warned that avian flu is the 'most worrying' biosecurity threat to New Zealand, admitting 'we can't stop it coming' via migratory birds, and noting the disease has already moved 'into the dairy herd' overseas. With avian flu getting closer, the risks of continuing duck shooting are too serious to ignore.
Scoop
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Duck Shooting Is Not Tradition – It's Time Aotearoa Faced The Truth
The Animal Justice Party (AJP) is once again calling for an immediate ban on duck shooting across New Zealand. As duck shooting season opens, AJP urges New Zealanders to stop and reflect on a practice that continues each year with little public scrutiny – despite its cruelty, its harm to native species, and its outdated nature. General Secretary Danette Wereta is calling on New Zealanders to truly think about what's happening 'Every year, men dress up in costume, take their small children out and kill ducks for fun. We don't stop to think about how strange and disturbing that actually is. We pass it off as culture, as tradition, as 'sport'. And we excuse it with throwaway comments like 'population control' – as if those words magically justify shooting sentient beings out of the sky. If we really cared about population dynamics, is this the best method we've got? And are ducks even the issue when our land and waterways are being polluted and destroyed by intensive land use? Let's be honest – the ducks aren't the problem.' Numerous studies have raised concerns about the emotional and psychological impact of exposing children to hunting. A review in the Journal of Social Issues (Arluke & Hafferty, 1996) links early exposure to violence against animals with desensitisation and diminished empathy. Other behavioural research indicates that participation in animal killing activities may increase aggression in children and decrease their capacity for compassion toward animals and people alike (Ascione, 2005). Teaching children to view violence against animals as fun, celebratory, or normal can severely distort their understanding of empathy, emotional regulation, and respect for life. Ducks are intelligent animals who form deep bonds. They can mourn the loss of a mate. Many aren't killed cleanly – they're maimed, left to suffer in pain, or die slowly from wounds. It goes against the Animal Welfare Act 1999, yet every year it's allowed to continue to appease a few. The impact of duck shooting also extends far beyond the targeted birds. Wereta recently spoke at Environment Canterbury council 'When shots are fired at Te Waihora, every bird experiences the impact—whether it's the target or not. Gunfire, the presence of hunting parties, and disruption of habitat cause stress, fear, and disturbance to all species—many of whom are endangered or threatened. You cannot create a sanctuary for some birds while allowing others to be shot for sport in the same space.' Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora is home to more than 158 bird species—133 of which are native or endemic. New Zealand is lagging behind. Western Australia banned duck shooting in 1990, New South Wales in 1995, and Queensland in 2005. And if that isn't enough—Avian influenza outbreaks overseas show the risk of transmission from wild ducks to dairy herds and even humans—something New Zealand must take seriously. Duck shooting creates unnecessary exposure pathways, especially concerning for the dairy industry and public health. Even Minister Hoggard has warned that avian flu is the "most worrying" biosecurity threat to New Zealand, admitting "we can't stop it coming" via migratory birds, and noting the disease has already moved "into the dairy herd" overseas. With avian flu getting closer, the risks of continuing duck shooting are too serious to ignore.
