This Sunday, SAFE joins Aotearoa Liberation League, Animal Save NZ, Climate Justice Taranaki, Animals Aotearoa and Freedom for the Animals in calling attention to the plight of bobby calves killed by New Zealand's dairy industry.

An estimated two million male calves will be killed within their first week of life between July and October this year. Bobby Calf Awareness Day will be observed every year on the final Sunday in August when the calving season reaches its peak.

Campaign Manager Emma Brodie says SAFE is proud to help launch the annual awareness day.

"The systematic killing of four-day-old animals continues to be a stain on Aotearoa's international reputation," says Brodie.

"It's time to recognise that dairy is inherently unethical, and the only way forward is to invest in the rapidly growing market for cruelty-free alternatives."

New Zealand kills a high proportion of calves as bobbies compared to other countries. Around 36% of the dairy calves born annually in New Zealand are killed as bobby calves compared with 19% in Australia and just 6% in the United States.

Intensive dairy production is Aotearoa’s biggest climate polluter, emitting nearly a quarter of the country’s greenhouse gases. The dairy industry is also a significant stressor to biodiversity, soil health and New Zealand’s waterways.

"We know that Kiwis are eager to find solutions for the many serious impacts of dairy production, and removing dairy from our diets is one of the best ways we can both show compassion for calves and reduce our environmental footprint."

Consumer demand for cruelty-free alternatives is rapidly increasing. Kiwis almost tripled their spend on plant-based milk alternatives between 2017 and 2019, increasing from $52 million to $144 million. According to New Zealand Functional Foods, oat milk sales in Aotearoa grew by 230% in 2021.

"We encourage Kiwis to mark the day by foregoing dairy products. With the abundance of readily available alternatives at all New Zealand supermarkets, it's easier than ever to go dairy-free."

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