Inspectors will be especially alert to badly lame stock being carted to meatworks, Ministry for Primary Industries compliance team manager Peter Hyde told a Beef + Lamb New Zealand meeting in North Canterbury.
“Using the meat companies to sort out your lameness issues is not acceptable,” he said.
Fines for low to medium-scale breaches of the regulations will typically be $300-$500.
A serious case of cancer eye could earn a $500 fine but a severe case could result in a prosecution.
Courts can still impose higher penalties up to $7500 and severe offending can still be prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act.
“We decided that’s like using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut,” Hyde told the winter seminar at Cheviot.
MPI has 25 animal welfare inspectors and made 30 prosecutions last year in response to 1050 complaints.
The ministry is usually able to manage those issues back into compliance.
The new regulations starting in October set more appropriate penalties for low to moderate offences and are meant to be high enough to improve farm practices without prosecution.
“It’s not the end of the world and you’re not likely to want to defend it in court,” Hyde said.
Farmers asked how they should define a seriously lame sheep with footrot and Hyde told them an animal with its head down, permanently lifting its leg and obviously sore should not be transported.
Inspectors will also be watching for back-rub of larger stock in transit.
Breeding larger stock is causing nasty cases of bleeding down to the skin, Hyde said.
MPI regulations for stock transport apply directly to the owner or person in charge who supplies the animal for transport.
Restrictions on transporting injured or pregnant animals include ingrown horns, injured horns or antlers, lameness, injured or diseased udders and advanced eye cancers.
“We’re getting a lot of animals being born on trucks.”
Vets at meatworks will issue infringement notices for animals giving birth at meatworks or in leerage but the ministry will still make allowances for surprise births.
The transport of bobby calves is improving every year.
MPI last year issued $500 fines to 150 farmers putting defective calves on trucks but only 0.06% of bobby calves arriving at meatworks were in poor condition.
“It’s been a massive improvement,” Hyde said.
Welfare inspectors will also monitor stock condition and handling at sale yards but not to the same degree as at meatworks.
On farms the new regulations forbid ingrown horns, use of traction to calve a cow or lamb a ewe, docking or shortening cattle tails and castrating cattle and sheep over six months old without local anaesthetic.
Rubber rings can be used without pain relief on animals up to six months old provided farmers meet the animal welfare code. It won’t be compulsory to use local anaesthetic for disbudding and dehorning cattle until October 2019.
The use of electric prodders will be banned on all animals with the exception of some animals over 150kg.
Striking an animal in the udder, anus, genitals or eyes using a prodder will also be prohibited.
Hyde said the new regulations also require dogs to be secured on moving vehicles but that is not applicable to mustering or quad-bike movements.
MPI is also making minor alterations to welfare codes.
Inspectors and MPI staff are aware of public and industry pressure to get welfare standards right.
“It’s a hairy topic. We feel constantly under the pump. Everybody’s an expert,” Hyde said.
