Using footage shot several months ago, the story tried, unfairly, to compare a conventional farm with a bio farmer who doesn’t use fertiliser.
The documentary pitted one farming style against another, airing confronting imagery (e.g. the home-kill exercise, the stillbirth, the hip clamps) and claiming they came from the more conventional farmer’s property.
Not screened was other footage the Sunday crew had filmed with other farmers and industry leaders, who would have been able to say that the conventional farm shown was not typical of a modern New Zealand dairy farm.
The farmers were also falsely told the story would include comments from many farmers. None of this has done any good to the programme’s reputation.
