Katie Saunders, Animal Care Team Developer, DairyNZ
Things change over time, animal welfare is no different. Over the years there has been more clarity as to what positive animal welfare looks like. The five freedoms of animal welfare have been defined by the Farm Animal Welfare Council: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury or disease, freedom to express normal behaviour, freedom from fear and distress.
Globally there are now several assurance schemes working to influence the level of animal welfare.
Here in NZ, the Animal Care Team are running positive welfare workshops for rural professionals and working on the Dairy Tomorrow Strategy – a commitment to leading the world in animal care. As part of this commitment DairyNZ will develop and implement a framework that ensures every animal is valued and treated with respect. By 2023, the target is that all farmers are implementing and reporting under the framework.
NZARN members a full copy of the presentation, including the framework, is available below if you are logged in.
Non-members looking for more information are encouraged to use our ‘contact a nutritionist’ form and ‘member directory’ to find a member who can help them answer their questions.
If you are a Rural Professional interested in joining the NZARN please see our ‘membership’ section.