Southland bust-up between Fed Farmers, MAF

Southland bust-up between Fed Farmers, MAF

Oct. 13 (BusinessDesk) – Federated Farmers is caught in a crossfire with the Ministry of Agriculture over an animal cruelty investigation on Southland farms that the lobby group says pushed too hard.

“I will not tolerate bullying from government departments,” said the feds’ dairy spokesman Lachlan McKenzie. “This is not an animal welfare issue.”

The case in question is about livestock caught in Southland’s snow storms and whether there was sufficient feed and shelter on the farm. McKenzie said his group has “16 sworn affidavits from various people who were on the property at the time.”

The feds and MAF agreed to keep the case confidential, he said. But it had now been aired anonymously.

McKenzie said the fed’s complaint was about “inappropriate behavior by MAF staff.” The feds had sought a government audit of the situation.
The lobby group also put forward a spokesman for its board, David Rose.

“This is a big smokescreen, designed to take attention off a live investigation by MAF into alleged bullying,” Rose said. “These anonymous accusations are so over the top and totally wrong.”

“For the record, Federated Farmers absolutely does not condone the maltreatment of livestock,” Rose said.

The treatment of farm animals has become front page news as debate has widened about industrial rearing and farming’s eco footprint. The Crafar farms debacle, which began with reports of maltreatment of calves, underlined a shifting public tolerance for poor farm practices.

The Southland Times reported that a vet was critical of Federated Farmers for defending a Southland farm where 12 lame dairy cows were put down after a MAF inspection.

It identified the farm as being owned by Wilma Zeestraten at Lochiel in central Southland and said the investigation had resulted from a complaint by a member of the public. The vet said in a letter to the Minister of Agriculture that it was among the "worst case of systemic animal neglect and mismanagement," the Times reported.

The letter described the farmer’s actions as “criminal acts” and questioned why the feds were defending the farmer.

McKenzie said he had to speak on behalf of the farmer because he had indemnity insurance which farmers lack.

(BusinessDesk)

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