NZ now has a welfare code for the treatment of dairy cattle, the first time diverse rules and regulations have been compiled in one place. The announcement of minimum standards for dairy farming serves an important public relations role for the industry after poor practices were found on Crafar farms in the central North Island. But it also sets in stone what most farmers do anyway. The worst players in the industry should be in no doubt they face prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act for any lapses.

Less ideal, timing-wise, is the lack of any reference in the Animal Welfare (Dairy Cattle) Code of Welfare 2010 to the long-term or permanent housing of dairy cattle, such as the controversial proposal in the Mackenzie Basin. Agriculture Minister David Carter has asked the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, or NAWAC, to provide separate advice on the practice. Carter says “long-term housing of dairy cattle in New Zealand is a relatively new concept and the animal welfare aspects are not yet fully known.”

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