The recommendation follows a petition lodged on 3 March by SAFE and the Commissioner for Animals Alliance, a coalition of 21 organisations calling for the establishment of a Commissioner for Animals to provide vital independent oversight of New Zealand’s animal welfare system.
The current system is failing due to ineffective oversight, limited enforcement and accountability, and significant issues with industry influence over animal welfare decision making. As a result, animals continue to be kept and raised in ways that do not align with obligations set out within animal welfare legislation.
SAFE Chief Executive Debra Ashton says today’s outcome is a significant step in the right direction and validates longstanding concerns about failures within the animal welfare system.
“This is a great outcome for animals. A Parliamentary committee has recognised that decades of concern about our animal welfare system warrant investigation, and we wholeheartedly welcome this important step forward.”
Recommendations
Following written and oral submissions made by SAFE, SPCA, and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the Petitions Committee concluded that concerns raised about the animal welfare system need to be further examined and addressed.
The committee has recommended the Government investigate how oversight of the animal welfare system could be improved, which creates a clear opportunity to identify systemic failures in governance, enforcement, and accountability.
Independent oversight of animal welfare will build public trust and deliver significantly better outcomes for animals. Concerns during the Coalition Government’s term have highlighted risks within the current system, including questions around industry influence, and predetermined outcomes in decisions made by ACT MP Andrew Hoggard as the minister responsible for animal welfare. Examples include Minister Hoggard’s moves to overturn the live export ban, and pushing through legislation that overrode a High Court ruling to continue the use of farrowing crates for mother pigs.
“A strong animal welfare system is independent, transparent, and accountable” says Ashton.
A review is urgently needed to ensure industry influence and profit are not permitted to take precedence over the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of animals.
A reformed animal welfare system should be fit for purpose, centred on the interests of animals, informed by contemporary animal welfare science, reflective of public expectations, and backed by meaningful oversight, accountability, and enforcement.
This outcome is a huge step forward, and a clear acknowledgement that the current system is not beyond scrutiny. We look forward to the Government taking the next step by undertaking an independent review of the animal welfare system that will that will ensure animals are treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.
Read more:
- Website: Commissioner for Animals Alliance
https://commissionerforanimals.nz/
- Petitions Committee Report
https://selectcommittees.parliament.nz/v/SelectCommitteeReport/7c027438-b53e-43a1-db1f-08df18232885?lang=en
