Animal rights organisation SAFE is outraged after receiving footage showing dead sheep and lambs on a Southland mud farm. Captured on the 7th and 8th September along State Highway 94, the footage reveals harrowing scenes of animal suffering, with numerous animals deceased across a mud-soaked paddock and others visibly shivering in the cold, unable to access shelter.

SAFE Campaign Manager Emma Brodie says the footage is a tragic confirmation of the severe and avoidable consequences of mud farming.

"This is a blatant violation of the Animal Welfare Act. Access to shelter and basic care isn’t a luxury for these animals - it’s their legal right. The horrific conditions exposed in this footage are not only a breach of the law, but a clear indictment of an industry that is failing to protect its most vulnerable," said Brodie.

SAFE has lodged a formal complaint with the Ministry for Primary Industries, demanding immediate intervention to prevent more animals from dying in the days ahead.

"We are gravely concerned that unless MPI steps in now, more animals will die in these conditions. Time is running out for them," says Brodie.

"Newborn lambs, in particular, are extremely vulnerable to hypothermia. Their small bodies simply don’t have the energy reserves needed to survive in such cold, wet conditions."

SAFE has long been warning about the dangers of mud farming and earlier this year raised alarm over the government’s proposed changes to the Resource Management Act. These changes would make it easier for farmers to confine animals on mud farms without obtaining a resource consent, potentially enabling the expansion of this practice.

"It’s outrageous that the government would even consider making it easier for farmers to subject animals to this kind of suffering. Mud farming is a stain on New Zealand’s ethical image, and the government needs to act decisively to stop this cruelty in its tracks," said Brodie.

SAFE is calling for urgent reforms to ensure animals are no longer subjected to these inhumane conditions, and to uphold the country’s commitment to animal welfare.

"No animal deserves to be condemned to the suffering we’ve seen in this footage. This isn’t just about poor farming practices - it’s a deliberate and callous disregard for life."

"Mud farming is a national disgrace, and it has to end now," said Brodie.

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