Govt rejects 'factory farming' proposal

The Government is against "factory farming" as it could have a negative impact on New Zealand's international free-range brand.

After heated debate on the issue in Parliament today, Prime Minister John Key said "the Government doesn't support it."

"It might also be helpful to point out the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, NAWAC, ... has recently developed a dairy welfare code," he said.

"The code is yet to be finalised and published, but the Minister of Agriculture advised me he has asked for urgent advice on the specific issue in relation to that code."

The Prime Minister's comments follow the Green Party's statement that introducing "factoring farming" of dairy cows would tarnish New Zealand's clean, green international image.

"The Government has the power under the Resource Management Act to assess matters of national significance at a national level. If this isn't one such issue, what is?" Green Party co-leader Russel Norman said, demanding the Government do more on the issue.

"The Minister for the Environment can call-in consent applications that have aroused widespread public concern or interest regarding its actual or likely effect on the environment."

Consent applications have been lodged by three companies - Southdown Holdings, Five Rivers, and Williamson Holdings - which want to set up 16 new farms in the central South Island's Mackenzie Basin.

According to the applications, up to 18,000 cows would be housed in "cubicle stables" 24 hours a day for eight months of the year, and 12 hours a day for the remaining four months.

"This is factory farming, pure and simple," Dr Norman said yesterday.

"Proposals to keep cows in cubicles that they don't leave for eight months of the year are a radical departure from our tradition of farming stock outside and on pasture, and could do immense harm to our clean, green international brand.

"Once word gets out to overseas consumers that New Zealand butter comes from factory farms, there goes our competitive advantage."

It was a "chilling prospect" from an animal welfare and environmental perspective, Dr Norman said.

Consent applications before Environment Canterbury include effluent ponds with 414 million litres of storage capacity and plans to put as much as 1.7 million litres of diluted effluent onto the land every day.

Federated Farmers said "so-called factory farming" cut costs, was environmentally friendly, and would not tarnish New Zealand's reputation.

Public submissions on the applications close on December 18.

- NZPA