Aotearoa’s reputation for strong animal welfare practices enhances our international reputation as an ethical food producer. Animal welfare can be described as when an animal is fit and healthy, and coping with its environment.
Generally speaking good animal welfare is based on five core freedoms: having access to food, water and shelter, freedom from disease, as well as freedom to express natural behaviours (such as living in a herd). Good animal welfare is a little more than this, however, as it also includes maintaining good animal handling skills across the farm team, and ensuring no more than adequate force is used when handling cows, responding to lameness and mastitis.
What does this look like on a farm? Access to drinking water in the paddock or shed, adequate food to maintain a good body condition score, shade and shelter from storms and heat stress, and having dry areas to lie down and stand up in, as well as being able to interact with other animals. It also means animals are kept in conditions which reduce the occurrence of disease, injury and distress as much as is possible, including in transit between farms, or to the meat works. And that injuries and illness are treated by a suitably qualified person as soon as possible.
How does Animal Welfare integrate with other farm practices?
