Like most New Zealanders I used to enjoy a good steak and chips for dinner or a fry-up of bacon and eggs for breakfast. However a while ago I became a vegetarian and am glad that I did. Don't worry though, this post isn't about trying to persuade you to cutout meat from your diet, it's about the terrible conditions many farmed animals live in and who allows such inhuman conditions to occur.
Yesterday, One News reported:
TVNZ's Sunday programme (video) showed footage filmed by animal rights group Farm Watch, which showed pigs living in squalid conditions. In fact it was difficult to watch because of just how horrendous those animals were being treated.
Yesterday, Scoop also reported on a Green party press release::
Another thing that was unacceptable was Nathan Guy's response to questions concerning the well documented animal abuse that has occurred at the Canterbury pig farm. After trying to say that he wasn't responsible and any questions should be directed to the Ministry for Primary Industries, Guy basically said that the inspection process was "robust" and there wasn't any problem at all. What a load of rubbish!
When pressed on the issue the Minister said MPI would be ensuring there wouldn't be any further abuse. However that's exactly the same assurance they gave last time the same piggery was found to be abusing its livestock. The only reasonable conclusion one can reach is that National has been ignoring the fact that these pigs were being abused.
My question to the Minister is that if the piggery was being inspected properly in the first place, why do those terrible images of pigs being abused exist? This points to a complete failure on the part of MPI, a failure that Nathan Guy should accept responsibility for.
Yesterday, One News reported:
Pork farm inspections under scrutiny
The Pork Board is defending its inspection process following allegations that meat certified as being farmed safely and humanely under their pork care label comes from a farm with substandard conditions.
TVNZ's Sunday programme (video) showed footage filmed by animal rights group Farm Watch, which showed pigs living in squalid conditions. In fact it was difficult to watch because of just how horrendous those animals were being treated.
"They found dozens and dozens of rats running over the animals, just shocking conditions" Hans Kriek from SAFE told the programme. "The whole pig care labelling scheme is a complete nonsense and basically it's just a bogus scheme to mislead consumers."Here's the Farmwatch video:
Yesterday, Scoop also reported on a Green party press release::
Horrendous conditions on pig farm show MPI failing
The horrendous conditions animals are living in at a Canterbury pig farm are completely unacceptable and show that MPI are failing to do their job by putting economic interests ahead of animal welfare, said the Green Party today.
Footage obtained by Farm Watch and SAFE from a Canterbury farm, which featured tonight on TV One’s Sunday programme, showed animals living in horrendous conditions and revealed how inadequate New Zealand’s regulation of the pig industry is.
Documents obtained show that this farm was investigated by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) in April 2013 following a complaint. In August 2013, MPI claimed that the farm was compliant.
Another thing that was unacceptable was Nathan Guy's response to questions concerning the well documented animal abuse that has occurred at the Canterbury pig farm. After trying to say that he wasn't responsible and any questions should be directed to the Ministry for Primary Industries, Guy basically said that the inspection process was "robust" and there wasn't any problem at all. What a load of rubbish!
When pressed on the issue the Minister said MPI would be ensuring there wouldn't be any further abuse. However that's exactly the same assurance they gave last time the same piggery was found to be abusing its livestock. The only reasonable conclusion one can reach is that National has been ignoring the fact that these pigs were being abused.My question to the Minister is that if the piggery was being inspected properly in the first place, why do those terrible images of pigs being abused exist? This points to a complete failure on the part of MPI, a failure that Nathan Guy should accept responsibility for.
