Media releases

Our waterways will be shattered with the sound of gunfire, as hunters injure thousands of birds when duck shooting opens this weekend. Projectiles released when a shotgun shell is fired can spread out to hit non-target birds flying nearby. These birds can lie in agony for hours until they finally...

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced this morning that as part of this year’s budget the Government is to invest $5.4 million over four years to improve animal welfare. “It’s great to see the Government investing in animal welfare,” says SAFE CEO Debra Ashton. Read more

The Greyhound Racing New Zealand 2019 annual report illustrates that 293 dogs were euthanised in 2019 due to the industry’s failure to rehome them. A further 54 were euthanised at the track due to critical injuries sustained during racing. Greyhound racing is set to restart today, with races scheduled in...

Last week a member of ‘The Great NZ Lock Up Mouse Hunt Comp’ Facebook group posted an image of a dead cat that they had caught in a trap. Another member commented on the photo, gloating about the number of cats he had killed since January, which included 25 kittens....

The demand for plant-based protein is growing internationally, and the Government should seize the opportunity to include this in their economic stimulus package, says animal rights organisation SAFE. KPMG global head of agribusiness Ian Proudfoot yesterday told the Epidemic Response Committee that COVID-19 would accelerate a move towards lab-based meats...

SAFE is calling out Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) chief executive Basil Chamberlain for saying animal activists got it wrong. The chief executive claimed that Port Taranaki, which in January began facilitating the export of live animals, has an independent board of directors. Read more

The live animal export ship Yangtze Harmony arrived in Port Taranaki yesterday to collect 4,450 cows, expected to depart tomorrow. This is the third live export ship to berth in New Plymouth this year. SAFE and other local groups want to see the practice of live export come to an...

Farrowing crates, which confine mother pigs kept on factory farms, violate the Animal Welfare Act 1999, and for the first time in New Zealand history the Act will be tested in court. SAFE and the New Zealand Animal Law Association (NZALA) filed court proceedings against the Agriculture Minister and the...

The pig meat industry is struggling to store its meat while independent butchers are closed during the COVID-19 lockdown. “The Government needs to stop the insemination of sows if the industry is struggling to house pigs,” says Campaigns Manager Marianne Macdonald. Read more

World Animal Protection has downgraded New Zealand’s animal protection ranking in a recently released report. The Animal Protection Index ranks 50 countries around the world according to their animal welfare policies and legislation. The index awarded New Zealand’s animal protection efforts an ‘A’ in 2014, however World Animal Protection has...

A wholefood, plant-based diet is healthy for individuals at all stages of life, according to nutrition experts worldwide. Plant-based and vegan diets have been criticised in recent weeks by New Zealand nutritionists who have stated they wouldn’t recommend the diet to young people. Read more

Two animal rights organisations are demanding the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) cancel a Dunedin rodeo following the deaths of two animals. SAFE and Direct Animal Action are calling for MPI to conduct an audit of the ‘Mad Bull’ rodeo club following the deaths of two bulls, one at each...

Footage captured by activists at the Urenui rodeo on Saturday shows a breach of the rodeo code of welfare. The footage which was passed onto SAFE yesterday shows a steer wrestling event that exceeds the rodeo code of welfare’s 30 second time limit. Steer wrestling is an event where a...

New poll figures reveal that more than half of New Zealanders who had attended a rodeo event supported a ban on rodeo. A recent Horizon Research poll commissioned by animal rights organisation SAFE shows that 60% of those polled who had attended a rodeo in the previous 12 months supported...