The Government must end the legalised cruelty of factory farming, the Green Party said today.
Footage shown on Campbell Live this week revealed yet again the appalling, but legal, conditions pigs are routinely kept in on factory farms. The conditions the pigs were kept in would almost certainly contravene New Zealand’s animal welfare laws if they involved a companion animal such as a pet cat or dog.
The Government must end the legalised cruelty of factory farming, the Green Party said today.
Footage shown on Campbell Live this week revealed yet again the appalling, but legal, conditions pigs are routinely kept in on factory farms. The conditions the pigs were kept in would almost certainly contravene New Zealand’s animal welfare laws if they involved a companion animal such as a pet cat or dog.
“It is time for the Government to end the suffering of pigs in factory farms in New Zealand,” Green Party animal welfare spokesperson Mojo Mathers said today.
“National and the Ministry of Primary Industries are just sitting on their hands while these scenes of animal cruelty are replayed across the country behind closed doors day after day.
“The Green Party is proposing changes to National’s Animal Welfare Bill that would strip out sections that allow animal cruelty to continue in New Zealand,” Ms Mathers said.
“The Animal Welfare Bill currently before parliament elevates economic impact and practicality as factors that may be considered when developing regulations.
“This sends completely the wrong message about which factors are important in setting minimum standards for animal welfare.
“Farmers who practice humane farming and look after their animal’s welfare are disadvantaged by the current legislation as they have to compete with cheap products subsidised by animal suffering.
“New Zealand needs to understand that the world takes note of how we treat our animals.
“There is a growing tide of public awareness of the cruelty of intensive factory farming practices” said Ms Mathers
“We need to do much more to safeguard animal welfare if we wish to maintain New Zealand's international reputation as a country that has sound animal welfare practices.”
Note: The Green Party has a supplementary order paper (no.355) that removes the elevation of economic impact and practicality as factors that may be considered, as practicality and economic impact are already used too often to justify keeping animals in unethical and cruel conditions.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2013/0107/latest/versions...
