Cook Strait ferry cows OK - probe

The image, taken through the open top of a stock truck, has been shared more than 8500 times since being posted on Facebook by Anne Robson on March 8. Photo / Facebook

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said there was no evidence of an animal welfare offence after investigating a complaint about the condition of cows being transported on the Cook Strait ferry in March.

The animals were being shipped from a farm in the upper South Island to a meat processing plant in Wellington.

The ministry's district compliance manager for Nelson/Marlborough, Ian Bright, said animal welfare inspectors interviewed the farmer, the stock agent who arranged the transport, the truck driver, the transport company owner, the yardman at the processing plant and the veterinarian at the plant who inspected the animals on arrival.

"After speaking to all people who handled the animals from the farm to processing, there was no evidence of the animals suffering physical harm through poor body condition," Bright said in a statement. "There was no evidence of an animal welfare offence.

"That is not to say they were in prime condition. These were dairy cows that were being culled from the herd and being sent for processing," he said.

Bright said the cows' condition was acceptable for transporting and for processing. He said staff visited the farm the cows came from and found no animal welfare issues.

Staff spoke to the farmer's vet and stock agent who both expressed confidence in the practice on the farm and the reputation of the farmer.

"We found that the 50 cows were inspected by a veterinarian when they arrived at the processing plant, who found no issues with poor body condition," he said.

The complaint arose from a member of the public, who took a picture of the cow and displayed them on a Facebook page.

Federated Farmers dairy section chairman Andrew Hoggard said the incident served as a reminder to farmers not be complacent about welfare. "Just because you don't get prosecuted, or your critics might have ulterior motives, doesn't absolve you from your responsibilities," he said in a statement.