News

At the weekend of 17 November 2018, a member of the public and her family witnessed and filmed a trailer of calves with one being trampled by the other animals. She called SAFE who advised her to call the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). SAFE followed up with the MPI inspector directly, who did...

SAFE has congratulated the New Zealand Animal Law Association (NZALA) for taking the first step towards private prosecution of a man who used an electric prodder on a calf during the 2017 rodeo season, in a clear breach of the Rodeo Code of Welfare. The prosecution was announced on November...

SAFE has applauded the European Parliament for taking a bold and necessary step towards improved animal welfare, by banning the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in meat production by 2022. Along with a complete ban on the use of human reserve antibiotics in veterinarian medicine, the European Parliament has banned the...

As per our previous notice, I invite you to attend the 2018 SAFE Annual General Meeting, which will be held on Saturday 24 November at 3PM, PSA House, Level 6 (there is a lift available), 11 Aurora Terrace, Wellington. There will be light refreshments from local bakery, Sweet Release and...

The “butcher of the future,” a cafe with a vegan cheese cave, and a plant-based, sweet-treat hot spot have taken out SAFE’s 2018 Eat Kind Awards. This is the second year running of the awards that recognise excellence in vegan eateries. They were announced today in celebration of World Vegan...

SAFE are deeply frustrated with MPI for only issuing a warning to a Timaru pig farm after an investigation was prompted by shocking footage of illegal animal cruelty captured by Farmwatch. MPI animal welfare inspectors visited the Timaru pig farm in July this year after footage released by Farmwatch showed pigs kept...

SAFE mark World Vegan Day by acknowledging four eateries across the country for their outstanding vegan cuisine. The 2018 EAT KIND Awards were presented to: The Butcher’s Son  – North Island Kaiaroha – Newcomer Sweet Release – Themed Cuisine Portershed – South Island Now in its second year, SAFE’s EAT...

  The “PigCare” system purports to be “New Zealand’s only independently verified animal welfare programme” and products carrying the label claim to have high welfare standards. But SAFE’s Head of Campaigns, Marianne Macdonald, is calling bull on the claims. “Farms only need to adhere to the minimum animal welfare standards...

SAFE is nominating New Zealand Pork’s ‘PigCare’ label for the 2018 Bad Taste Food Awards, in recognition of its deception of consumers in the name of profit. The awards are run by Consumer NZ and recognise the country’s most misleading advertisements. The ‘PigCare’ system purports to be “New Zealand’s only independently...

The social licence for factory farming is on a sharp decline. All major supermarket chains in New Zealand now have a policy to move away from selling cage eggs, while sales of free-range meat and eggs are booming. The Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor, recently warned farmers that the “lowest common...

A woman will be trapped in a cage on top of a hospital bed outside Parliament tomorrow, to draw attention to the ‘absurd’ comparison of farrowing crates to maternity wards. The demonstration is being organised by SAFE on Thursday 25 October, and follows the organisation’s oral submission on a 112,844 signature...

A woman was trapped in a cage on top of a hospital bed today outside Parliament, to draw attention to the ‘absurd’ comparison of farrowing crates to maternity wards. This demonstration was held after the Parliamentary Primary Production Select Committee had listened to submissions from SAFE and New Zealand Pork,...

SAFE is calling on two councils to think about the wellbeing of millions of birds, as well as the negative impacts on local people through increased traffic and pollution, when they hear a consent application for a huge chicken farm in Waikato. Matamata Poultry Limited wants to build a six-shed...

Drone footage released by SAFE this week revealed the jaw-dropping scale of the Wakanui feedlot in Canterbury.  The film was met by widespread disgust from Kiwis, who were shocked to see American-style intensive zero-grazing operations, right here in New Zealand. Their outrage grew when they found out how widely this so-called ‘premium...