Minister of MPI misleads public over continued pig abuse
Minister of MPI misleads public over continued pig abuse.
Farmwatch is concerned that the Minister for
Primary Industries is
misleading the public about pig
farming in New Zealand.
In response to shocking footage
screened by the Sunday show last night
MPI Minister
Nathan guy said "I'm disappointed that this
information
hasn't gone to MPI straight away. As soon as
I became aware of the
property I said to MPI you need to
go and inspect the property."
Spokesperson for Farmwatch
John Darroch says, “This statement by the
Minster fails
to mention that MPI investigated the same farm after
our
initial investigation just last year and 6 months
later gave it a
clean bill of health[1]. Our
investigation in 2013 highlighted
shocking conditions and
substandard care of animals and we are
disappointed that
a year later the pigs are living in the same
horrendous
conditions. “
Instead of showing genuine concern and
taking real action the Minister
is obfuscating by blaming
SAFE and FarmWatch; He’s even tried to
distance himself
from his own Ministry with comments to the Sunday
Program
like “That’s a thing that MPI will have to answer
for
themselves – I’m the minister.”
John Darroch
says “The minister cannot avoid responsibility for
the
conditions on this farm and his attempts to blame our
organisation for
not informing his Ministry are
childish.
“The pigs on this farm have been living in
these conditions for the
past year. It is ridiculous for
Nathan Guy to suggest that we should
trust the Ministry
to manage this farm when they have clearly failed
to take
any real action until now.
“In the year between our
visits these animals were living in the exact
same pens
in the same sheds. Clearly no significant changes to
the
farm were made despite MPI’s involvement. It is
naïve to suggest that
we should trust the Ministry to
intervene when they have
“The public cannot trust the
Minister when it comes to animal welfare
issues. Instead
of holding the industry to account, the Minister
is
attempting to portray this as an isolated incident
which will be
remedied. We believe that the reason this
issue has not been addressed
is because this is no rogue
farm. These are types of conditions which
our
organisation has found right around the country.
”
[1] OIA response detailing MPI’s involvement in
the farm:
http://www.farmwatch.org.nz/uploads/1/8/2/8/18284057/oiaresponsempi.pdf
A
statement from New Zealand pork highlighting MPI’s
involvement can
be viewed at: http://www.farmwatch.org.nz/uploads/1/8/2/8/18284057/farmwatch_-_facts_and_fictions.pdf
ends