New animal welfare regulations

The Ministry for Primary Industries introduced new animal welfare regulations in October 2018.

To find out more about the regulations, visit the MPI website. 

The regulations include:

• Stock transport – Stock must be fit for transport and animals with injured or diseased udders cannot be transported.
• Tail docking – a person must not shorten or remove the tail of any cattle beast.
• Assisting calving cows - No use of traction with a moving vehicle, motorised winch or any other device that does not allow for the immediate release of tension for the purposes of calving cows.
• Castration - when castrating or shortening the scrotum of a bull over the age of six months, pain relief must be used (for any method of castration). If high tension bands are used to castrate an animal, local anaesthetic must be used to provide pain relief at any age (note that high tension bands are not standard castration rubber rings).

From October 2019 the regulations will include:

• Disbudding – pain relief required at all ages (from October 2019).
• Dehorning – pain relief required at all ages (from October 2019).

Young calf regulations (since August 2016 and 2017)

• Maximum time off feed before slaughter of calves

  Young calves must be slaughtered as soon as possible after arrival at the slaughter premises. The maximum time a calf can be off feed is 24hrs.

• Requirements for loading and unloading calves

  Loading and unloading facilities must be provided when young calves are transported for sale or slaughter. This means that calves can walk onto and off vehicles by their own action. Transporters must also take all reasonable steps to use these facilities. Find out more about loading facilities.

• Shelter requirements before and during transportation of calves

  Suitable shelter must be provided for young calves before, during and after transportation.

• Fit for transport

  Calves must be at least four days of age (96hrs) and physically fit before they are transported off-farm for sale or slaughter. This applies to any young calf that is up to 14 days old and has been separated from its mother. View the criteria for fit for transport, the poster can be downloaded and printed.

• Prohibition on killing calves by blunt force to the head

  No use of blunt force to the head for putting down calves, except in an emergency situation to avoid unnecessary suffering. This applies to any calf that has not been weaned off milk, or a milk replacement.

• Maximum duration of transport

  Maximum duration of 12 hours' journey time for young calves being transported.

  This applies to any young calf that is up to 14 days old and has been separated from its mother.

• Prohibition on transport by sea across Cook Strait

  This applies to any young calf that is up to 14 days old and has been separated from its mother.
  For more details on these regulations visit the MPI website.