Animal welfare breaches confirmed by New Zealand government
Promotional body the New Zealand Merino Company has announced a series of measure to tighten up on-farm commitment to animal welfare.
This announcement came following confirmation from New Zealand’s ministry for primary industries (MPI) that allegations of animal cruelty at sheep farms in the country are accurate.
An MPI investigation took place after campaign group PETA released video footage of cruel treatment of sheep. From the footage, the New Zealand Merino Company identified two farms that, until now, have been part of the ZQ programme for animal welfare, environmental care and social sustainability that it runs.
It has suspended those farms from the programme and has initiated “a rapid response assessment” of all ZQ farms to make sure they are upholding animal welfare protocols.
The New Zealand Merino Company has also requested 50 additional animal welfare-focused spot inspections by third-party auditor Control Union, to take place before the end of February.
It will commission an independent industry working group to develop recommendations for “enhanced welfare and monitoring”.
In addition to the third-party spot inspections on farm, there will also be independent monitoring of the overall ZQ programme.
“We categorically reject the claim that animal abuse is in any way a typical occurrence within the ZQ programme,” the New Zealand Merino Company said. “We have zero tolerance for breaches of our standards.”
