On Sunday night, TVNZ's Sunday screened a look inside a typical New Zealand pig farm, showing pigs confined in crates, frothing at the mouth and chewing the bars. The images were so appalling that the Minister of Agriculture was forced to get involved, promising that the farm would be investigated. MAF officials completed their inspection today, and - unsurprisingly - have found that everything was in accordance with the law:
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry investigators say a piggery belonging to a former pork industry board chairman is not breaking any animal welfare laws.To which the response has to be "so much the worse for the law". Seriously, if the law permits the sort of suffering and cruelty shown in the "Sunday" segment, then it is clearly inadequate and in need of strengthening.MAF investigations manager Greg Reid told Newstalk ZB the ministry could only take action if specific animals were suffering unnecessarily or if the pigs had untreated diseases.
