New Zealand announces new dairy cattle welfare regulations

The New Zealand Government has announced a new animal welfare code for the nation’s nearly six million dairy cattle. Following recommendations from the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), the updated regulations include a ban on tethering dairy cattle and investigations into the use of electrified backing gates for moving animals. Other new standards mandate feeding calves twice daily for their first two weeks of life and require veterinarian approval before thin cattle with low body condition scores can be removed from farms.

In a separate development regarding rural policy, representatives from five major political parties—National, Labour, ACT, New Zealand First, and the Greens—participated in a debate for farmers at Mystery Creek. The discussion focused on agricultural, fiscal, and environmental policies, with significant emphasis placed on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and carbon farming. Farmers expressed concerns regarding the conversion of productive farmland into forestry for carbon offsetting. National Party representative Todd McClay stated that recent policy adjustments aim to protect productive farmland while managing the carbon market.