Rowarth appointed DairyNZ deputy chair
DairyNZ has appointed Jacqueline Rowarth as its first deputy board chair.
DairyNZ has responded to shocking footage of a Northland sharemilker hitting cows with an iron rod.
The footage, recorded by animal advocacy group Farmwatch with secret cameras installed on the farm, is creating a social media storm.
Farmers and sharemilkers have taken to social media to condemn the man’s actions. In the video, the sharemilker is clearly seen striking cows with a stick, a steel pipe and an alkathene pipe. The footage has been handed to Ministry of Primary Industries.
Taranaki sharemilker Matthew Herbert said on Twitter “that man in the headlines is not a sharemilker”.
“He’s a leech at the bottom of our industry. He should be kicked out today.”
With photos of him cuddling cows, Herbert wrote, “real sharemilkers treat their cows like this...”
Federated Farmers national sharemilkers chairman Richard McIntyre also did not hold back.
“Society don't tolerate or make excuses for wife beaters and neither will we in this case,” he tweeted.
“We need to make sure we speak up when we see cases like this on farm and ensure that something is done about it. I hope MPI now have all of the evidence they need.”
DairyNZ’s strategy leader Dr Jenny Jago says the well-being of animals is at the heart of every dairy farm.
“It is not okay to treat any animal poorly - ever - and the vast majority of farmers care deeply about their animals. This footage is disturbing and it has been reported that a complaint has been laid. This type of appalling behaviour is absolutely not representative of the thousands of farmers that work with cows every day and are passionate about animal welfare.
“Cruel and illegal practices are not in any way condoned or accepted by the dairy sector as part of dairy farming. If a farmer treats their cows badly, they shouldn’t be working in the dairy sector. It’s as simple as that,” says Jago.
MPI has not commented on the shocking footage yet.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford is claiming “some real success” on the 12 policy priorities it placed before the Coalition Government.
Federated Farmers is throwing its support behind the Fast-track Approvals Bill introduced by the Coalition Government to enable a fast-track decision-making process for infrastructure and development projects.
The latest report from ANZ isn’t good news for sheep farmers: lamb returns are forecast to remain low.
Divine table grapes that herald the start of a brand-new industry in Hawke’s Bay have been coming off vines in Maraekakaho.
In what appears to be a casualty of the downturn in the agricultural sector, a well-known machinery brand is now in the hands of liquidators and owing creditors $6.6 million.
One of New Zealand’s deepest breeder Jersey herds – known for its enduring connection through cattle with the UK’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II – will host its 75th anniversary celebration sale on-farm on April 22.
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