Cows in mud reignite debate
Photos of cows in muddy conditions show the ‘‘outrageous failure’’ by officials to act on winter grazing practices, an animal rights group says.
But Federated Farmers says the images capture a moment in time and may not tell the full story.
The photos, released by Safe last week, show cows in a muddy paddock with no shelter. They were taken by a Fiordland resident on June 7, Safe campaign manager Marianne Macdonald said.
A complaint was made to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), which failed to take any action after visiting the farm near Te Anau, Macdonald said.
A second set of photos, taken at the same location 10 days later, again shows cows standing and lying in mud.
‘‘This is an outrageous failure on the Ministry of Primary Industries’ part and we demand that they do more to protect these animals,’’ she said.
MPI director of compliance Gary Orr said the ministry was committed to following up complaints.
‘‘In this case, after a thorough investigation, we are satisfied there were no animal welfare concerns,’’ he said.
The ministry received a complaint about the property on June 8, and animal welfare inspectors visited two days later. Eighty dry (non-lactating) dairy cows were found in the paddock.
Many were lying down and resting and there were plenty of dry areas available. The cattle were all in good condition and had no signs of health issues, Orr said.
‘‘Good quantities of supplementary feed such as hay and silage was available, and all the cattle had easy access to clean drinking water.’’
Heavy rain the previous weekend had contributed to the mud with the immediate area around the water trough suffering the most, Orr said. Inspectors recommended the farmer move the trough regularly to minimise the amount of mud, and it was moved while they were on site.
MetService data shows 16.8 millimetres of rain fell at Te Anau over June 6-7 and 22.6mm was recorded over June 16-17.
Orr said the paddock was reasonably stony and had freedraining soil. The farmer also had a contingency plan to move the cattle to a dry area if the paddock became too wet.
Federated Farmers dairy chairman Wayne Langford said it was always difficult to tell what was really going on from photos, which captured a single point in time.
‘‘Even if you went back a week or more later, if that’s where they’re fed, they could be back there feeding again,’’ he said.
‘‘Just because you drive past a paddock and the cows are there, that doesn’t mean they’re in there for 24 hours. They could be taken out at night.’’
The cows’ hooves being visible in the photos showed that although the ground was wet, the cows weren’t sinking into mud, he said.
‘‘A lot of work has gone on in Southland to improve winter grazing practices, and from what we’ve heard, the situation is improving.
‘‘There might still be people who get themselves into difficulty, and I’d encourage them to talk to their industry groups if they need support.’’
But Macdonald said the dairy industry told the same story every year and it was the cows that suffered in the muddy conditions.
Safe was calling for a separate Crown entity to be established with the sole function of ensuring adherence to New Zealand’s animal welfare laws.
The practice of winter grazing, where stock were fed winter crops such as brassicas in strips using electric fences, hit the headlines last year after environmental activists posted photos and footage online of cows grazing in mud in some parts of Southland.
As a result, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor set up a task force that reviewed current practices and made recommendations.
Environment Southland chief executive Rob Phillips said farmers were advised last year that winter grazing practices needed to be improved.
‘‘Winter grazing is a high risk activity with regard to water quality and all farmers need to undertake good management practice.’’
He said early observations from inspection flights over the region on June 16 suggested a better uptake of good management practices.