An MPI spokeswoman said inspections showed none of the complaints met the threshold warranting prosecution.
Farmers are required to provide animals with access to somewhere comfortable to rest and they must spend only part of the day in light mud conditions.”
Provided that condition is met a complaint will not progress further because that is not considered unacceptable farming practice.
Five regions accounted for 77% of the complaints. They were Waikato, Southland, Canterbury, Manawatu-Wanganui and Otago. Three quarters of complaints were lodged between June and August.
A new data base means MPI can not provide comparable data from previous years and it does not differentiate between stock on winter crop or in a muddy paddock.
In contrast an SPCA spokesman said the society handled a national record 15,584 complaints of animal cruelty in 2017, covering both urban and rural sectors.
The data could not be refined further to differentiate between companion and farmed animals.
The MPI spokeswoman said people lodging complaints are asked about the severity of ground conditions, how long and how often stock are in those conditions, the size of paddock, stock concentration, mud condition and depth.
They are also asked whether animals are standing, sitting or lying, whether feed is available, if there is mud on the animals and their condition, access to water, resting places and shelter.
The Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare states cattle on stand-off areas and feed pads must be able to lie down and rest comfortably for sufficient periods to meet their behavioural needs.
MPI understands the inevitability that during winter animals will spend time in mud, especially when being fed on crops.
MPI has no immediate plans to change the rules governing the management of livestock on muddy paddocks and crops.
