Rewarding farmers who embrace sustainability
Winners of DairyNZ’s Sustainability and Stewardship awards in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards have their eyes firmly fixed on progressing a positive future for New Zealand dairy.
DairyNZ veterinary technical policy advisor Nita Harding says normally not too many cows need to be slaughtered on dairy farms.
Her statement comes following Farmwatch releasing photographs of hundreds of cow carcasses in a gully on a Northland farm.
Farmers would be expected to monitor the health of their animals and attend to their needs in a timely manner, she says. But some may need to be put down, such as the injured and those not acceptable to a meat processor.
Clear regulations govern the humane slaughter of stock on farms and these are on the websites of DairyNZ and MPI.
“We have also produced guidelines for humane onfarm slaughter and these are on our website. They tell a bit more of ‘how’ to meet the requirements which can be useful for farmers working through procedures onfarm.
“We also have a template for farmers to fill in about who has been trained, what method should be used and contact numbers of veterinarians for people who want more information.”
Harding says three procedures are recommended for slaughtering cows: first, a captive-bolt firearm followed by a secondary method such as bleeding or pithing; second, using a normal firearm is also permissible followed by bleeding the animal out; third, employ a veterinarian to either euthanise the animal with drugs or kill it with a captive bolt firearm.
She says farmers are generally well aware of their animal welfare responsibilities and requirements. Some dairy companies help farmers in this and in all cases the appropriate treatment of animals forms part of their supply agreement with the company.
“We encourage farmers with questions about onfarm slaughter to talk to their veterinarian or look at the DairyNZ website.
“The main goal is for farmers to treat animals in a proper and timely manner so that they recover and return to the herd.”
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.