Proposed welfare code betrays animals and the law

SAFE is demanding that the Ministry for Primary Industries’ proposed Code of Welfare for Sheep and Beef Cattle be scrapped, calling it a legal shield for cruelty that fails to meet even the most basic obligations under the Animal Welfare Act 1999. The animal rights organisation says the code legitimises inherently harmful practices – including mud farming, feedlots, and painful procedures like castration and tail docking without pain relief – while continuing to allow animals to suffer without access to shelter.