Canada backs down in dairy dispute
A long running trade dispute between New Zealand and Canada over dairy access has been resolved.
Animal rights protest group PETA is calling for Agriculture Minister Todd McClay to introduce legislation which would make it mandatory to have live-streaming web cameras in all New Zealand shearing shed.
It follows the release of footage released last week which PETA claims to show shearers on a Lake Hawea farm leased by former American TV show host Matt Lauer kicking and beating sheep.
The organisation claims the farm is part of the New Zealand Merino Company’s (NZM) ZQ Programme. In a statement to media, NZM denied this.
NZM has also announced intentions to investigate PETA’s claims, urging the organisation to provide details about filming locations and the timing of the recordings.
PETA claims the introduction of webcams and livestreaming to shearing sheds would help farm owners hold shearers accountable.
“PETA is calling on the New Zealand government to mandate web cameras inside all of the country's shearing sheds to hold the farms accountable since the industry seems incapable of doing so itself,” says PETA senior vice president Jason Baker.
In a letter to Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Baker argues that the practice is essential for both transparency and accountability, claiming that real-time monitoring would discourage any abusive practices.
“To demonstrate true transparency and accountability, we call on the government to mandate live-streaming web cameras in all shearing sheds, including ZQ-certified farms across the country,” he says.
“The public has the right to know whether meaningful action is being taken,” he concludes.
Two butcheries have claimed victory at the 100% New Zealand Bacon & Ham Awards for 2025.
A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.
The Climate Change Commission’s 2025 emissions reduction monitoring report reveals steady progress on the reduction of New Zealand’s climate pollution.
Another milestone has been reached in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis with the compensation assistance service being wound up after helping more than 1300 farmers.
The Government’s directive for state farmer Landcorp Farming (trading as Pamu) to lifts its performance is yielding results.
The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at Ospri officially started this month, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency.
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