Antidote NZ

eating cabbage which is break fed in small sections Sorry. For a so called ex farmer to say this is telling. No dairy cow ever has been break fed cabbage. This makes the rest of the article pretty dubious. Nearly all farmers want their animals to do well, but giving them a human personality doesnt help. If they are warm, fed and comfortable, then they are happy.

Hi. It would be good for stuff to give a short synopsis about all authors of their articles. They seem to on some articles and not others. Pieces from ill informed / untruthful authors inflame the situation and drive the wedge further into the rural urban divide.

another looney left anti farmer article, I spend more on my farm animals than I do on myself, this would be typical for a farmer . the accusation that farmers are these uncaring abusers of animals is a disgraceful accusation which I reject totally. obviously those not involved in farming dont know that the better you treat your animals the more profitable your farming business is , On top of that at the end of a working day you can relax knowing youve done all you can and not worry about what you will encounter the next morning, it is hugely satisfying to see your livestock doing well, looking well and producing well, . Some thing an urban critic would never understand

100% agree and is it not the responsibility of the media publicizing the article to check the facts, it is just lazy and irresponsible journalism to not do so. Again, why let the truth get in the way of a good story or some sensationalism.

I agree, Im getting sick of our own country running the ag industry down.

Kale is a brassica like cabbage, and yes cattle like it and do very well on it. Cattle are dehorned for their safety, human safety, and so they can fit on stock trucks. Lambs are docked for their health. All farmers know this. Our animals dont have names (doesnt seem to bother them) but we do take pride in having happy healthy stock. We spend years educating ourselves, read the latest research, go to field days, and constantly question how we can improve. We adapt to changing social requirements, change farming practises as new research comes available, and like our animals.We dont need ignorant and biased articles like this one.

Youd get buy-in if you didnt put rubbish photos up.The cows show no sign of distress, theyre comfortable head-up and ears up and paying attention. theyre in good condition and have significant body fat. Ask any Vet and theyll agree.The purpose of the mud (or sacrifice paddock) is to prevent destruction of grass during the winter months where cows have a tendency to rip up the ground. This means they have more and better quality grass through-out the rest of the year. Secondly, theyre fed surplus in winter and actually gain weight as clearly shown.Animal abuse is a massive problem. Cages hens, pigs with limited movement, idiots punching possums off fence posts, horses being starved, dogs housed in terrible conditions to make money of puppies, grey hounds murdered constantly simply because theyre not fast enough.THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE.

Good news story will allways out strip the negative ones, but we all know that they dont get the same response!! Clearly what non farming types dont/cant seem to understand is that %99 of farmers want there stock doing well as thats their livelihood !! As for the %1 that are always in the news they dont deserve to own or work with stock and are undoing all the hard work done by the rest us that care for our livestock and environment

No doubt there are a few people about who do mistreat animals in all countries but New Zealand along with Austria, Switzerland and the UK are ranked in the top tier for animal welfare.Coming from the UK I struggle to understand the use of intensive when applied to NZ farming.Large scale some of it may be but for the most part it is extensive.My understanding of intensive is rearing or keeping animals in close confinement in either a shed or feedlot not free range grazing.

How can they be non defensive when articles like this take the worst case scenario and then say it is the norm. Best practice guidelines for dog owners is that they get 1 hour of exercise a day, the law doesnt even afford them that much. Some dogs spend all their time caged or tethered, if I said that this is normal practice and dog owners are cruel, dont you think that dog owners would get defensive?

I have commented before that when a reporter is expressing an opinion, it needs to be fact based somewhere. So authors should be required to quote their sources for sweeping statements that suggest that all farmers are animal abusers.

100% agree with Gisse below. A farmer myself care for all my animals and like everything a bad grape in every bunch. The same opinion piece could be relevant to humans/children mistreatment in stead of animals! What has the above articles author written about that.

What a load of codswallop this article is ....... love get over yourself. Have you ever had to deal with a lamb that has fly blow? Bet not, I have and believe me its nasty but a hell of a lot easier to clean up when a lamb has been docked. Have you ever had to deal with an animal that has been gored by a cow that wasnt dehorned ? Bet not, it is very nasty and New Zealand has had very strict guidelines for many years with regards the dehorning of cattle. It must be done by a vet with local anaesthetic to minimise any distress to said beast. The only way now that a farmer is legally allowed to dehorn his or her own stock is to debud at a very young age. Do you know what debudding is? Bet not...You are a fool

I have also seen animal abuse on local lifestyle blocks, like the one that asked me why the newly purchased calves wouldnt drink....no matter how hard he smacked them.

dont judge farmers by your own attitudes recycler

I live in a rural area and pass many farms each day. This article is just rubbish and yes even been on farms, in fact my chiropractor works from their farm. This article is pure fantasy, deranged, and has no reality in NZ.

Another Green towny that has never been longer than one hour ,on a sunny day....on the farm.But has to put her 5 cents in.

Oh no, we get that. I think most farmers do a great job and care deeply for their animals. But we ALL (that means other farmers too) need to step up and say enough is enough to the small group letting everyone down.

World Animal Protection who are an international not for profit organisation they assess countries on a number of criteria like animal protection legislation and its enforcement. Their league table appears to be quoted in the media in all the English speaking countries and several European publications. The top tier is A as far as I can see there is nothing above that.

They probably handed out their stupid educational pamphlets and walked away as they usually do