Source: Federated Farmers
Federated Farmers is welcoming changes that will further enhance New Zealand’s strong international reputation for high animal welfare standards in the dairy sector.
“New Zealanders can be very proud of our animal welfare standards that already go further than most other countries,” Federated Farmers dairy chair Karl Dean says.
“Kiwi dairy farmers are great at what we do. We produce high quality, sustainable and safe dairy products with some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world.
“The revised Code of Welfare: Dairy Cattle, released earlier today, shows we’re not resting on our laurels. We’re constantly striving to lift the bar and do better.”
The work of the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and the wider sector in shaping these improvements speaks to the commitment to caring well for our livestock.
“We need to have a proactive attitude and continue building on that strong international reputation and brand,” Dean says.
“Dairy is so important for our rural communities and New Zealand’s economy. We’re the largest export earner and support more than 50,000 farm and processing jobs.”
Key changes in the revised code include:
- A new minimum standard related to the feeding, rearing, and weaning of calves. Calves must have access to milk or milk replacer at least twice-a-day in the first 2 weeks of their life.
- Dairy cattle with a body condition score of 3 or below will only be able to be transported off-farm with veterinary approval.
- Minimum standards relating to the tethering of dairy cattle will be strengthened, and new regulations on tethering will be developed following public consultation.
The revised code comes into effect from 19 April next year.
“I’m confident our dairy farmers are invested in making any changes to their farm practice to meet the new standards,” Dean concluded.