Bobby calf deaths on trucks down
A total of 1100 bobby calves died on the way to freezing works last year, out of 1.77 million processed.
Since 2008 the numbers of transported calves have fallen from 68 per 10,000 to six per 10,000 last year.
No prosecutions were taken against anyone last year, although there were 155 infringement offences, all of which related to breaches of the ‘‘fitness for transport regulation’’.
This states the calf must be at least four days of age, free of any illness, injuries or disabilities, be alert and able to stand and move freely, and to have firm hooves and a shrivelled navel cord.
Each year the number of calves born varies between 4.5 to 5 million. Of those, about 40 per cent are bobby calves, 30 per cent are replacement calves and 30 per cent are reared for beef. Following an outcry from animal rights activists and damaging film footage of calves being thrown into trucks in 2015, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has tightened up on rules and introduced harsher fines. Associate Minister of Agriculture responsible for animal welfare Meka Whaitiri welcomed the lower mortality rates as a ‘‘victory for our animal welfare regulations’’. However John Darroch from Farmwatch, the organisation that shot the film of trucking staff abusing the calves, said the lower rates reflected the work of activists, and without that officials would not have made the changes. ‘‘I’m very pleased, it’s a meaningful improvement and an indication of the work we’ve done,’’ he said.
MPI developed the Animal Welfare (Calves) Regulations and introduced four of them in 2016, with the final three regulations coming into force last year.
Some prohibited killing calves ‘‘by blunt force to the head’’, while others penalised farmers or transporters for failing to have loading and unloading facilities. Now an individual can be fined up to a maximum of $5000 and a body corporate up to a maximum of
$25,000 for some offences relating to transporting calves. Whaitiri said the high mortality rates in
2008 prompted changes. ‘‘The regulations that were introduced in 2016 have seen the deaths continue to drop every year. Improvements in the mortality rates show that these regulations, alongside the industry’s own initiatives, have made a real difference.’’ In 2008, 1.51 million calves were processed, rising to a high of
2.17 million in 2015 before falling to
1.77 million last year.