News

Feedlots are a form of intense agriculture in which cattle are confined in pens, without grass and usually without any shelter, to feed them up before slaughter. In New Zealand, cattle can be held in these pens for months at a time. New drone-footage reveals the reality of feedlots already...

Animal advocacy group SAFE is calling for farming groups to develop whistle-blower programmes, after revelations workers are receiving death threats for reporting abuse. The comment was made by SAFE CEO, Debra Ashton, in a speech to industry figures and the Associate Minister of Agriculture, Hon Meka Whaitiri, at an MPI...

SAFE calling for humane treatment of animals to be taught in schools following teenagers’ involvement in seal shooting. SAFE says four teenagers’ involvement in the shooting of a protected  leopard seal near Dargaville shows a desperate need for compulsory  animal education in schools. The animal was fatally shot in the...

SAFE is applauding BP for being the first petrol and retail outlet in New Zealand to jump on board with the international cage-free egg movement. Being quick off the mark, whole cage eggs are already off the shelves across all 98 stores nationwide. BP in Poland adopted similar cage-free egg...

SAFE supporters attempted to present the NZ Pork Board with an award recognising the inherent cruelty in their continued use of farrowing crates, at their annual award dinner in Auckland yesterday evening. They were offered a unique piece of New Zealand artwork depicting a pig in a farrowing crate, along...

In New Zealand, approximately 16,000 mother pigs (sows)  are each confined to cages that allow them only the space to take one  step forward or backward, for up to five weeks at a time, two to three  times a year. Many of these crates were installed when pigs  were physically...

A live pig will be attending a rally on Parliament steps at midday on 26 July, representing the 16,000 mother pigs being confined in so-called ‘farrowing crates’. She will be joined by veterinarian Rosalind Holland, Green MP Gareth Hughes and other caring New Zealanders, all pushing Labour to uphold its...

Today a live pig, Princess Buttercup, joined the rally on Parliament steps, representing the 16,000 mother pigs being confined in so called ‘farrowing crates’. Buttercup was joined by veterinarian Rosalind Holland, Green MP Gareth Hughes and other caring New Zealanders, all pushing Labour to uphold its election promise and ban...

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has, yet again, let animals down by giving a green-light to the Timaru pig farm exposed last week for breaking the law. Footage obtained by Farmwatch volunteer investigators, which caused outrage nationwide, shows that the farm was keeping pigs in illegal sow stalls – banned...

SAFE is outraged to learn that the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has, yet again, let animals down by giving a green-light to the Timaru pig farm exposed last week for breaking the law. Footage obtained by Farmwatch volunteer investigators shows that the farm was keeping pigs in illegal sow...

A new nationwide poll conducted by Horizon Research has shown that just over three in four New Zealanders felt that the statement, “The use of farrowing crates can cause suffering to sows and it is not worth causing this suffering when there are alternative systems,” was closest to their own views...

Shocking new footage has been released by SAFE showing pregnant pigs confined in sow stalls. The use of these metal cages has been banned since 2015. “Contrary to claims made today by NZ Pork, we have evidence that these cages were used as ‘sow stalls’, rather than so-called ‘mating stalls,” says...

Figures released by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) today show an increase in the numbers of animals suffering in experiments, with over a quarter of a million animals used in 2016. Over 8500 of the animals, mostly rodents and rabbits, were used in extremely painful experiments. SAFE chief executive...

This week in the house, Green Party MP Gareth Hughes asked the Associate Minister of Agriculture Hon Meka Whaitiri what the Ministry is doing to help protect animals. This comes after an exposé on a Northland farm revealed the failure of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) when it comes to animal...