Vegans might gain more acceptance if they somehow disassociated themselves from radical organizations like SAFE, PETA etc in my view. I look at the SPCA and see an honest genuine outfit looking out for and protecting the welfare of animals. Wrongly or rightly when I look at SAFE, PETA etc I see Vegans trying to push their agenda over and above animal welfare otherwise we would see them helping animals in situations like floods, fires, earthquakes and the likes.
A Foodstuffs spokeswoman: strict observance of animal welfare codes what a load of rubbish, 80-90% of bacon sold in NZ is imported from around 26 different countries with lower welfare standards with only Sweden being equal to ours and we vary rarely import from Sweden. NZ pig farmers are leading the world in welfare standards and the supermarkets wont support them so its a slow demise for our pig industry sadly. Consumers are being mislead into the origin of the bacon by dubious labeling which the supermarkets are happy to ignore.
The current price pig farmers are getting per kg is $3.35 so its not the farmers that are raking it in thats for sure, must be a lot of middle men in the system I guess.
Have we not learnt lessons from the past M Bovis in dairy/cattle, PSA in Kiwifruit, Varroa Mite in the beekeeping industry yet lets allow pork in from countries with diseases that we are free from. Fresh pork is coming into NZ at an alarming rate, if it was heat treated to the point where it was safe to import then it would/could hardly be called fresh. One of MPIs defenses is that fresh pork is allowed to be imported if it is 3kgs or under. They have determined that it is a higher grade cut and highly likely to be consumed in its entirety lessening the chance of it making it to the scraps/waste bin therefore unlikely to be accidentally fed to pigs as food scraps. Seems to me that this reasoning leaves a lot up to chance, way more than what most people would deem acceptable I suspect. Where is the pressure coming from to make such dubious calls in regards to NZs biosecurity?
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.
How do you get a doctorate without researching the facts, it seems its possible it turns out. But to misinform the public with this title is nothing less than dishonest.
OK, this is a genuine question. Do you support SAFE, PETA etc? SAFE recently advertised a job vacancy in NZ stipulating that only vegans apply. SAFE say that their objective is the welfare of animals but if you go to their website it seems to me that their objective is to stop all livestock farming and meat eating. Do some, a few, a lot, most vegans support SAFE, PETA in your experience/opinion?
There must be some entity with a lot of power behind this watered down version, the vast majority of consumers in NZ want full disclosure, most of our trading partners demand it so what pressure and from whom is being exerted on this select committee. Take bacon as an example, Made from local and imported ingredients implies it is from NZ but in fact a lot of it is imported so it is not just ambiguous, its misleading. Grow a spine or go home select committee.
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?
This watered down version is a joke, labels on bacon that say Made from local and imported ingredients can and often do mean that the meat was imported and the cure/seasoning might be local. I have been told by someone in the know but I have no evidence that National have an over represented voice in the select committed and that there is some points scoring going on here, if that is the case, I am disgusted. Why are we not told who is on the select committee so the public can do some lobbying. There is a lot of scaremongering going on in this article as most of our trading partners insist on CoOL and rightly so. Grow a spine select committee and do the right thing, 71% of us want it, how much more evidence do you need? And another thing, how much income and jobs are lost to NZ public and producers due to deceitful labeling and imports being bought unknowingly?
Farmwatch was set up by SAFE to do their dirty work thus protecting their charity status in the event of prosecution for trespassing etc. Both these entities effectively lower overall animal welfare by attacking NZ farmers whom have the highest welfare standards which in turn promotes imports from lower welfare standard countries. Annual pork consumption per person has increased by 3kgs in recent times yet the the NZ pig industry has gotten smaller due to imported products not having to adhere to our higher standards.
Does the author own a pet or have children, if so, by her reasoning we should take the worst case scenario of pet or child abuse and brand the majority of pet owners and/or parents unfit to take care of them.
Not sure about lamb Interesting11 but pig farmers are currently being paid $3.25/kg dressed out weight. Cost of production on average per kg for Free Farmed is about $3.05 and Indoor Farmed $2.85, this is about to go up due to barley and wheat prices rising rapidly, 70% of the cost of raising a pig is feed. What is the current retail for bacon? I saw quite a bit recently on the supermarket shelf at around the $27/kg mark. Can anyone explain the breakdown of costs between the farm gate and the supermarket shelf?
These boards and councils are a spineless lot, smokers are an easy target. Imagine going to war with them on your side, a random turkey would wander onto the battlefield and they would shoot it...easy target but achieve nothing. Cars and wood burners should be banned if they want to make a difference, I would rather spend a few hours in a room with a smoker than a few hours in a room with a car running or a wood burner without a flue not that I would live to tell the story on the later two.
Of the 8 select committee members, 4 are National including the chairperson, 3 are Labour and one is NZ First. I am not a Green party fan but they are on the money trying to introduce CoOL and why is there not a Green member on the committee. Bacon and ham especially is rife with misleading labeling, Made from imported and local ingredients most often means the meat has been imported and the curing process is done in NZ. This is purposely misleading the consumer and is nothing less than skulduggery. Between 80 - 90% of bacon and ham consumed in NZ is imported and approx. 95% of that would be illegal to produce here under NZs strict welfare standards. Going by the same reasoning as what is currently allowed on food imports, all new cars sold in NZ could be manufactured locally. Import it, slap a WOF and a Rego on it, floor mats, headlight covers and you are free to call it NZ made.
NZ pig farmers along with Sweden have the highest animal welfare standards in the world, we should be proud of that. In the last 10 years pig meat consumed per capita has risen approx. 3kgs which consists of imported meat. To me this does not show a slow down in meat consumption it however shows an increase in production of lower animal welfare produced meat. I dont think you are going to stop people eating meat, what you could realistically aim for is that the meat that is consumed comes from the highest animal welfare possible. To do this, can I suggest you go protest at the ports or retail outlets that sell the imported product as you will then raise overall animal welfare rather than lowering it which is what you seem to have unwittingly achieved. For the record, I am not a farmer.
Will be interesting to see if they stop selling so much imported pork from who knows where, over 60% of pig meat consumed in NZ is imported and of that 60% approx. 95% is raised in lower animal welfare conditions that would be allowed in NZ. It is accepted that NZ farmers have to compete in the international field but at least make it a level playing field. Do the right thing Mad Butcher, support NZ farmers.
What a load of rubbish Dan M, antibiotics are only allowed to be given under vet script and only if those animals are under the vets care in NZ, much the same as a doctor. Withholding periods for that animal is then put in place before allowing to go to slaughter. No pigs in NZ are grown in crates, farrowing crates are used for a short period during birthing to protect the newborn piglets for some sows in NZ but pigs are never grown in them.
Sweden banned farrowing crates a few years back and are now reevaluating this decision due to all other options having unacceptable rates of piglet deaths. Farrowing crates save a minimum of 5% more piglets compared to other options so taking NZs current annual pig production of which 60% farrow indoors, 24,000 piglets are saved per year by the use of them.
Agree 100%, surely this is of major concern to them so where are they, I have not seen them at the ports or the retailers selling the imported pork and while they are there they can protest that the imports all bar 4.5% from Sweden is produced in lower welfare conditions than NZ pigs. Perhaps they are busy helping farmers and animals get through the recent snow and flooding events around the country?
This is typical underhanded tactics the likes of SAFE, Farmwatch, PETA, Direct Animal Action use. They were recently invited to visit a farm that is over 30 years old and they declined the invitation. I also know a farmer that got them onto his property, they looked bored until they saw the back of a shed and insisted on going into it, turns out the livestock was dry, warm, clean, and well fed.......they didnt even turn their cameras on and left looking a little despondent.
Oh come on now, you dont want the facts to get in the way of a good story now do you. Take pigs as an example: wild piglets chance of survival is around 50%, Free Farmed 80% and Indoor 90%. Free Farmed place the comfort of the sow during reproduction over the the lives of piglets, Indoor place the lives of the piglets over the comfort of the sow for 4 weeks. Isnt it up to the consumer to choose which system best aligns with their beliefs, we have both options available on the retail shelf so they can make a choice. One thing for sure though is that if it is imported, there is a 97% chance of it coming from a lower welfare production system than NZ.
And there should be a CCTV camera in every home that has children as there are too many cases of child abuse in NZ. Otherwise you are placing more protection on livestock than you are on humans.
Time for some ribbing - but no meat
Vegans might gain more acceptance if they somehow disassociated themselves from radical organizations like SAFE, PETA etc in my view. I look at the SPCA and see an honest genuine outfit looking out for and protecting the welfare of animals. Wrongly or rightly when I look at SAFE, PETA etc I see Vegans trying to push their agenda over and above animal welfare otherwise we would see them helping animals in situations like floods, fires, earthquakes and the likes.
Why Kiwis pay so much for beef and lamb
A Foodstuffs spokeswoman: strict observance of animal welfare codes what a load of rubbish, 80-90% of bacon sold in NZ is imported from around 26 different countries with lower welfare standards with only Sweden being equal to ours and we vary rarely import from Sweden. NZ pig farmers are leading the world in welfare standards and the supermarkets wont support them so its a slow demise for our pig industry sadly. Consumers are being mislead into the origin of the bacon by dubious labeling which the supermarkets are happy to ignore.
Pork industry alarmed about spread of deadly African swine fever
The current price pig farmers are getting per kg is $3.35 so its not the farmers that are raking it in thats for sure, must be a lot of middle men in the system I guess.
Pork industry alarmed about spread of deadly African swine fever
Have we not learnt lessons from the past M Bovis in dairy/cattle, PSA in Kiwifruit, Varroa Mite in the beekeeping industry yet lets allow pork in from countries with diseases that we are free from. Fresh pork is coming into NZ at an alarming rate, if it was heat treated to the point where it was safe to import then it would/could hardly be called fresh. One of MPIs defenses is that fresh pork is allowed to be imported if it is 3kgs or under. They have determined that it is a higher grade cut and highly likely to be consumed in its entirety lessening the chance of it making it to the scraps/waste bin therefore unlikely to be accidentally fed to pigs as food scraps. Seems to me that this reasoning leaves a lot up to chance, way more than what most people would deem acceptable I suspect. Where is the pressure coming from to make such dubious calls in regards to NZs biosecurity?
Society turning a blind eye to horrific animal abuse on farms
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.
Farrowing crates a form of torture
How do you get a doctorate without researching the facts, it seems its possible it turns out. But to misinform the public with this title is nothing less than dishonest.
Time for some ribbing - but no meat
OK, this is a genuine question. Do you support SAFE, PETA etc? SAFE recently advertised a job vacancy in NZ stipulating that only vegans apply. SAFE say that their objective is the welfare of animals but if you go to their website it seems to me that their objective is to stop all livestock farming and meat eating. Do some, a few, a lot, most vegans support SAFE, PETA in your experience/opinion?
Why Kiwis pay so much for beef and lamb
Imagine NZ full of vegetarians, we would go broke in no time with that many people on the pension.
Steve Hansen and Jacques Brunel bang heads over Damian McKenzie try
Excellent description and after going back and looking at it a few times you nailed the situation.
Country of origin proposal scaled back
There must be some entity with a lot of power behind this watered down version, the vast majority of consumers in NZ want full disclosure, most of our trading partners demand it so what pressure and from whom is being exerted on this select committee. Take bacon as an example, Made from local and imported ingredients implies it is from NZ but in fact a lot of it is imported so it is not just ambiguous, its misleading. Grow a spine or go home select committee.
Society turning a blind eye to horrific animal abuse on farms
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?
Country of origin labelling could cost consumers at the checkout
This watered down version is a joke, labels on bacon that say Made from local and imported ingredients can and often do mean that the meat was imported and the cure/seasoning might be local. I have been told by someone in the know but I have no evidence that National have an over represented voice in the select committed and that there is some points scoring going on here, if that is the case, I am disgusted. Why are we not told who is on the select committee so the public can do some lobbying. There is a lot of scaremongering going on in this article as most of our trading partners insist on CoOL and rightly so. Grow a spine select committee and do the right thing, 71% of us want it, how much more evidence do you need? And another thing, how much income and jobs are lost to NZ public and producers due to deceitful labeling and imports being bought unknowingly?
Pork industry demonstrates importance of country of origin labeling
Farmwatch was set up by SAFE to do their dirty work thus protecting their charity status in the event of prosecution for trespassing etc. Both these entities effectively lower overall animal welfare by attacking NZ farmers whom have the highest welfare standards which in turn promotes imports from lower welfare standard countries. Annual pork consumption per person has increased by 3kgs in recent times yet the the NZ pig industry has gotten smaller due to imported products not having to adhere to our higher standards.
Farrowing crates a form of torture
Oh come on now Maj Pegram, dont bring facts or statistics into the argument, they get in the way of a good story.
Society turning a blind eye to horrific animal abuse on farms
Does the author own a pet or have children, if so, by her reasoning we should take the worst case scenario of pet or child abuse and brand the majority of pet owners and/or parents unfit to take care of them.
Why Kiwis pay so much for beef and lamb
Not sure about lamb Interesting11 but pig farmers are currently being paid $3.25/kg dressed out weight. Cost of production on average per kg for Free Farmed is about $3.05 and Indoor Farmed $2.85, this is about to go up due to barley and wheat prices rising rapidly, 70% of the cost of raising a pig is feed. What is the current retail for bacon? I saw quite a bit recently on the supermarket shelf at around the $27/kg mark. Can anyone explain the breakdown of costs between the farm gate and the supermarket shelf?
Busy Canterbury tourist village trialling smoking ban
These boards and councils are a spineless lot, smokers are an easy target. Imagine going to war with them on your side, a random turkey would wander onto the battlefield and they would shoot it...easy target but achieve nothing. Cars and wood burners should be banned if they want to make a difference, I would rather spend a few hours in a room with a smoker than a few hours in a room with a car running or a wood burner without a flue not that I would live to tell the story on the later two.
Opposition mounts to watered down labelling rules
Of the 8 select committee members, 4 are National including the chairperson, 3 are Labour and one is NZ First. I am not a Green party fan but they are on the money trying to introduce CoOL and why is there not a Green member on the committee. Bacon and ham especially is rife with misleading labeling, Made from imported and local ingredients most often means the meat has been imported and the curing process is done in NZ. This is purposely misleading the consumer and is nothing less than skulduggery. Between 80 - 90% of bacon and ham consumed in NZ is imported and approx. 95% of that would be illegal to produce here under NZs strict welfare standards. Going by the same reasoning as what is currently allowed on food imports, all new cars sold in NZ could be manufactured locally. Import it, slap a WOF and a Rego on it, floor mats, headlight covers and you are free to call it NZ made.
Time for some ribbing - but no meat
NZ pig farmers along with Sweden have the highest animal welfare standards in the world, we should be proud of that. In the last 10 years pig meat consumed per capita has risen approx. 3kgs which consists of imported meat. To me this does not show a slow down in meat consumption it however shows an increase in production of lower animal welfare produced meat. I dont think you are going to stop people eating meat, what you could realistically aim for is that the meat that is consumed comes from the highest animal welfare possible. To do this, can I suggest you go protest at the ports or retail outlets that sell the imported product as you will then raise overall animal welfare rather than lowering it which is what you seem to have unwittingly achieved. For the record, I am not a farmer.
Founding family back in charge of Mad Butcher chain
Will be interesting to see if they stop selling so much imported pork from who knows where, over 60% of pig meat consumed in NZ is imported and of that 60% approx. 95% is raised in lower animal welfare conditions that would be allowed in NZ. It is accepted that NZ farmers have to compete in the international field but at least make it a level playing field. Do the right thing Mad Butcher, support NZ farmers.
Why Kiwis pay so much for beef and lamb
What a load of rubbish Dan M, antibiotics are only allowed to be given under vet script and only if those animals are under the vets care in NZ, much the same as a doctor. Withholding periods for that animal is then put in place before allowing to go to slaughter. No pigs in NZ are grown in crates, farrowing crates are used for a short period during birthing to protect the newborn piglets for some sows in NZ but pigs are never grown in them.
Bacon back in latest country of origin labelling proposal
Then this is a win win, you can carry on with your buying habits and others that do care can make their choice based on more information.
Tail docking of cattle and dogs to be banned
Sweden banned farrowing crates a few years back and are now reevaluating this decision due to all other options having unacceptable rates of piglet deaths. Farrowing crates save a minimum of 5% more piglets compared to other options so taking NZs current annual pig production of which 60% farrow indoors, 24,000 piglets are saved per year by the use of them.
Pork industry alarmed about spread of deadly African swine fever
Agree 100%, surely this is of major concern to them so where are they, I have not seen them at the ports or the retailers selling the imported pork and while they are there they can protest that the imports all bar 4.5% from Sweden is produced in lower welfare conditions than NZ pigs. Perhaps they are busy helping farmers and animals get through the recent snow and flooding events around the country?
Chicken farm video 'designed to shock'
You and freecycler are 100% correct, select a 30+ year old farm and a 15+ year old farm and not a brand new shiny one to see how they they operate.
Chicken farm video 'designed to shock'
This is typical underhanded tactics the likes of SAFE, Farmwatch, PETA, Direct Animal Action use. They were recently invited to visit a farm that is over 30 years old and they declined the invitation. I also know a farmer that got them onto his property, they looked bored until they saw the back of a shed and insisted on going into it, turns out the livestock was dry, warm, clean, and well fed.......they didnt even turn their cameras on and left looking a little despondent.
Editorial: The end of consumer innocence
Oh come on now, you dont want the facts to get in the way of a good story now do you. Take pigs as an example: wild piglets chance of survival is around 50%, Free Farmed 80% and Indoor 90%. Free Farmed place the comfort of the sow during reproduction over the the lives of piglets, Indoor place the lives of the piglets over the comfort of the sow for 4 weeks. Isnt it up to the consumer to choose which system best aligns with their beliefs, we have both options available on the retail shelf so they can make a choice. One thing for sure though is that if it is imported, there is a 97% chance of it coming from a lower welfare production system than NZ.
Blatant abuse in NZ shows our animals need an independent protector
And there should be a CCTV camera in every home that has children as there are too many cases of child abuse in NZ. Otherwise you are placing more protection on livestock than you are on humans.