ROYAL NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
30 September 2002
SPCA: "Clean And Green" Is Not Enough!
Our national brand is being jeopardised by cruel and callous behaviour towards animals, says the Royal New Zealand SPCA.
The society has marked the commencement of World Animal Week on Tuesday 1st October with a call for New Zealand to opt
for the highest international standards in its treatment of companion, farm and wild animals.
The SPCA says that the adoption of international best practice in animal welfare is not only ethically correct but also
necessary for preserving our status in the global economy.
"As a nation, we take great pride in our clean, green reputation and our unique natural environment. We also recognise
that these are enormously valuable assets when it comes to marketing our products to affluent and discriminating
consumers overseas or to luring them here as tourists.
"However, we also need to understand that, in the minds of many of our customers, environmental purity and the
compassionate treatment of animals are wholly and unavoidably intertwined. With ethical considerations increasingly
shaping consumer choice, we need to be thought of as humane and responsible as well as clean and green if we are to
continue to enjoy consumer goodwill," says the SPCA's Chief Executive Officer, Peter Blomkamp.
"Perhaps because of the traditional importance of our land-based industries, we've often taken an expedient or even
callous approach to both domestic and farm animals. Moreover, whilst we rightly place a huge premium on preserving our
unique native fauna, we don't always feel the need to treat imported species with even a minimum of compassion. These
attitudes must change if we are to preserve and enhance our national brand," he says.
According to Mr Blomkamp, it's not unusual for overseas visitors to comment critically over some New Zealand dairy
farmers' docking of cow tails, a practice which is unknown in our major export markets and which deprives cattle of
their natural ability to swat flies. He says that the SPCA has also received complaints from tourists on farm stays over
the emaciated and neglected condition of some farm dogs.
"In addition, high stocking rates on farms have resulted in both a shortage of shelter for animals during cold snaps and
what can sometimes be a virtual absence of shade during warmer weather. All too often in midsummer you can see every
animal in the paddock jostling for space beneath a solitary tree whilst the sun beats mercilessly down," he says, adding
that over-stocking also contributed to the suffering of starving animals during last year's drought conditions.
"A further concern is that we're falling behind much of the developed world by continuing to sanction essentially cruel
systems of intensive farming. Sow stalls, used for constraining pregnant pigs, are still legal here, although they are
being phased-out in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Similarly, our government has yet to decide whether to order the
phase-out of battery cages for egg-laying hens, despite the fact that a phase-out is already underway in much of Europe.
"In today's global village, there's always a risk of animal abuse stories being flashed around the world by satellite
and fibre-optic cable and perhaps treated in a sensationalist way by overseas media. The resulting scandal could tarnish
our brand as a nation. If that happened, the consequences might not just be felt by our food exporters but by industries
as diverse as wine, fashion and tourism," says Mr Blomkamp.
World Animal Week takes place annually in early October. Mr Blomkamp says that the Royal New Zealand SPCA has made
substantial progress since the last such week in raising awareness of the need for a more humane approach to animal.
"We've been hugely encouraged by the response to our campaigns against sow stalls and battery cages. Submissions to
Government, calling for a sow stall ban have been signed by approximately 65,000 New Zealanders whilst almost twice that
number have signed submissions in favour of a ban on battery cages. Large majorities have also told opinion pollsters
that they want these systems of incarceration banned. We trust that government will take note of this shift in public
sentiment.
"A very large percentage of New Zealanders have always given strong support to the SPCA's work on behalf of companion
animals such as dogs and cats. It's very heartening to see the circle of compassion broadening to take in a more
extensive range of animals," he says.
For further information, please contact;
Peter Blomkamp
Chief Executive Officer
Royal New Zealand SPCA
09 827 6094
021 179 0072
Released by Ian Morrison, Matter of Fact Communications
Tel: 09 575 3223, 0 Fax: 09 575 3220, Email:matfact@ww.co.nz