The New Zealand Listener’s latest editorial looks at the issue of animal welfare in New Zealand, particularly in the pork industry.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
Continuing revelations of cruel treatment of pigs in some New Zealand piggeries are a matter of concern on so many fronts politicians should be falling over themselves to take action.
Even for those so pragmatic they lack any sensitivity to animal suffering, the footage now regularly taken by various animal welfare activists represents a serious economic threat. This country aims for a spotless reputation as a food producer and our economic health depends heavily on getting premium prices for our agricultural exports. Yet this very thing is placed in jeopardy when footage of animal cruelty goes viral globally.
The editorial concludes…
We can lead the world in this area. The development in recent times of a special tube for trawlers that allows the escape, unharmed, of undersized fish is an exciting innovation. Agricultural researchers are making headway in developing non-polluting and humane dairy farming with the use of shelter sheds.
This is not, as has been tiresomely suggested by defensive industry players, the preserve of a minority of hippy-dippy animal welfare nuts. This is our future.