Save us from SAFE
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.
Animal rights group SAFE and the New Zealand Animal Law Association (NZALA) have written an open letter to the Prime Minister asking her to appoint a Commissioner for Animals.
The letter comes after the High Court found last month that Minister for Agriculture Damien O'Connor, on the advice of the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), had acted unlawfully by not phasing out the use of farrowing crates and mating stalls.
SAFE chief executive Debra Ashton says the government needs to get serious about animal welfare.
"NAWAC failed to uphold the law, and mother pigs suffered as a result," Ashton said.
"We have animal welfare legislation for a reason, because we recognise that animals have needs. We are calling for better systems that will put animal welfare first."
NZALA president Saar Cohen said, "the judgement highlights the need to oversee NAWAC's actions and provide leadership and guidance to all animal welfare agencies."
"A parliamentary Commissioner for Animals will do that, as well as advocated for animals and ensure fair representation of animal interests in Government decision making."
NZALA and SAFE filed proceedings in February 2019 over O'Connor's and NAWAC's failure to phase out the use of farrowing crates.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.
Balclutha farmer Renae Martin remembers the moment she fell in love with cows.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.