A PGG Wrightson livestock manager and auctioneer has been fined $11,000 and ordered to pay $9000 in vet and investigations costs for leaving more than 1400 sheep to starve. Stock agent Neville William Clark, 46, pleaded guilty on Monday to leaving 250 sheep, 1100 lambs and 120 in-lamb ewes on a 412ha forest block just south of Gisborne reports Stuff.

Those not already dead were worm- ridden, weak and emaciated. Dozens of the animals were euthanased. Judge Adeane said Clark was a first-time offender, and there was no suggestion he was “willfully cruel for the sake of cruelty. Rather he has fallen short of good [farming] standards”. An Agriculture and Forestry Ministry statement of facts presented to Gisborne District Court this week said the land could not possibly have provided enough feed for the animals.

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Massey University and Australian animal welfare experts gathered for their first meeting to talk through animal welfare issues, putting them on the world animal welfare stage, says Massey’s Professor Kevin Stafford reports The Manawatu Standard. The meeting saw representatives from five research institutions come together to discuss how they could contribute to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), particularly in Oceania and the wider Asian region.

Massey’s Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre was named as an OIE collaborating centre in 2007. The centre operates as a partnership between the New Zealand and Australian governments and the research institutions. And the history and future of animal welfare is encompassed in a new book co-written by two Massey University researchers involved in the centre. The book provides distinct New Zealand perspectives on the theory and practice of animal welfare science set in a global context.

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Any of you who think animal welfare issues are just another of todays PC issues that have got out of control, need to think again and look at the blog response www.interest.co.nz have had when they broke this story. All farmers should tread carefully in this area and public perception is a strong influence in food and negative stories can be damaging. Also look at reaction to David Carters response to the issue, on a later story.

Bernard Hickey details the key news overnight in 90 seconds at 9am in association with ASB, starting with news broken late yesterday by interest.co.nz of an animal neglect story at New Zealand’s biggest privately owned dairy farming group.

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Does the farmer put the vet in an animal welfare conflict? Sometimes, yes. Given NZ’s economic dependence on agriculture, and the growing attention to animal welfare here and overseas, it is unsurprising there has been concurrent development of animal-welfare law reports Rural News. Although education brings about change in some farmers’ thinking, sadly some require enforcement through the courts. Lawyers and organisations like MAF Enforcement must ensure the interests of many are not compromised by the unlawful actions of a few.

Increasing attention to animal welfare affects vets and farmers, particularly those struggling to prioritise or balance animal welfare with business interests, or attitudes based on outdated farm practices. Consider develvetting. The vet carries out the annual surgery on the sire stag for a client deer farmer, something done for the past 10 years. The vet knows the client is not approved to remove velvet from his animals yet has never enquired who does it. If it’s not the usual attending vet or approved person, probably the farmer has develvetted the spikers; again, potential conflict.

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The Government is to allow live sheep exports again but wants to be assured animal welfare guidelines are met first. Agriculture Minister David Carter said yesterday the Government intends ending the six-year moratorium on live sheep exports but will have to be assured the animals are properly treated on the trip to Saudi Arabia and when they get there reports The Southland Times. Mr Carter confirmed shipments would resume under those conditions, distressing the Green Party and animal rights activists.

South Canterbury Federated Farmers district president David Williams said the move to resume live sheep exports would give farmers another option. “The decision probably comes a bit late because the sheep market is buoyant. If it had been 12 months ago, then it may have been more of a help. It won’t do any harm provided they can meet animal welfare issues.”The export of sheep for slaughter overseas has been a long and controversial affair.

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Whilst I’m all for listening to the market and its signals and adhering to the “customer is always right” principle, this banning all dogs from the meat processors is in my opinion going too far. Where does all this, being more” considerate to sheep” rubbish stop and start. Will working dogs be banned on farms next, or will processing workers be asked to watch their language when around sheep. PC is alive and well in this decision and will make many farmers dispair of where  will it all end.

Sheepdogs are about to be put out to pasture, with Silver Fern Farms looking to phase out their use by the end of the year reports The Press. British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that the NZ company had been told to stop using the dogs by an English buyer, supermarket chain Tesco. Tesco said the dogs “stressed” the sheep and should not be used unless they could be trained to be “more considerate” to the sheep.

Silver Fern Farms spokesman Brent Melville said that, though the company was planning to stop using the dogs, it was not because of an order from Tesco. Customers were not happy with the use of dogs to move sheep and the move followed an international trend in animal welfare.

Good news for sheep farmers with the national Government prepared to reintroduce live exports subject to animal welfare concerns being upheld. In a market where supply is short this must be good news for maintaining the present firm prices and return sheep farming to profit. Agriculture Minister David Carter said yesterday that the Government intends ending the six-year moratorium on live sheep exports but will have to be assured the animals are properly treated during the trip to Saudi Arabia and when they get there reports The Timaru Herald.

South Canterbury Federated Farmers district president David Williams said the move to resume live sheep exports would give farmers another option.”It won’t do any harm provided they can meet welfare issues.” The export of sheep for slaughter overseas has been a long and controversial affair. Animal welfare groups remain steadfastly opposed to the trade.

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“NZ has the chance to set an international benchmark for transporting sheep and beef cattle within its borders,” says Bruce Wills, Fed Farmers Meat and Fibre spokesperson.  ”We already have some of the highest ethical standards in the world for animal husbandry, care and handling, which is why it is important to encourage all those responsible for stock transportation to equal or exceed these standards. ”Federated Farmers takes animal welfare very seriously and maintaining high standards when it comes to stock transport is a key contributor to NZ’s economy.

“NZ enjoys a high level of animal husbandry, care and management. This is why our product is sort after in the international market. Keeping these high ethical standards allows us to produce well-conditioned stock, which makes good business sense for NZ. ”Fed Farmers works closely with the MAF on animal welfare matters and is a member of the NAWAC. By working together we can ensure farm animals are properly treated when it comes to transportation. 

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National’s proposals to address the rural veterinary shortages – including a voluntary bonding scheme for rural veterinarians – has been welcomed by the veterinary profession. NZVA chief executive, Julie Hood, says the proposals will greatly assist the severe shortage of veterinarians in rural areas.“This is a serious issue, not only for the profession, but for the viability of our agricultural exports, the welfare of our animals and our biosecurity surveillance systems.” Ms Hood says the NZVA would not normally comment on political policies, but this particular policy proposal is an important step towards attracting and retaining young veterinary graduates into hard to service areas. She says in areas like the east coast of the North Island, where there is now no veterinary presence for some distance, animal welfare is a growing concern. “