Animal welfare in New Zealand

The New Zealand economy relies heavily on agriculture and many animal welfare issues involve the farming sector.

[1][2][3] As of 2023, two-thirds of pork eaten in New Zealand is imported from countries with lower pig welfare standards, such as the United States and Canada, who can accordingly produce it more cheaply.

[7] In 2010 Landcare Research prepared a paper for MAF Biosecurity New Zealand called How humane are our pest control tools?

[9] This sets out the policies and procedures that need to be adopted and followed by the organisation and its animal ethics committee (AEC).

In 2009, a Tongan man living in New Zealand cooked his dog in his back yard, which prompted calls to ban the practice, but this did not happen.

[11] On 14 April 2021, the Government of New Zealand announced that, in order to raise animal welfare standards, it had decided to phase out the export of livestock by sea by 2023 after a transition period of up to two years.

Hereford cattle grazing in the Macaulay River valley in South Canterbury. Most cattle remain outdoors for most of the year but wintering barns are sometimes used for dairy cows .