Thoughts and Opinions

We have opinions! Yip - it's true, we do!

Read our opinion pieces, things that we are thinking about and what we are working on.

1. Cyclone Gabrielle, food security and our animals

2. Egg-cellent - it’s Easter! But where does your egg come from?

3. Livestock exports and winter grazing - National's 2023 Farm Policy Proposals

4. Celebrating New Zealand's Ban on Livestock Exports by Sea

1) Cyclone Gabrielle, food security and our animals

There’s a David and Goliath battle to be had in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle and the current conversations being had about food insecurity in Aotearoa.

In our rebuild, will it be big agriculture, forestry, industry and supermarkets whose opinions carry weight? Or is it time to hear a smaller, alternate voice?

After all, many of us feel the devastation – the slash, sediment smothering the critters in our rivers, decimating houses and orchards, the tragic deaths, the homelessness and hunger – is a result of listening to Goliath’s voice for too long.

2) Egg-cellent - it’s Easter! But where does your egg come from?

"It was great news, years in the making when from 1st January 2023, Aotearoa banned the battery cages that hens used to live in.

But from then on, there’s also been

some blurring of communications combined with labelling that does not clearly state, “from a hen that lived her life in a colony cage.” Arguably, this is a misinformation campaign, aimed at making consumers believe that no hens live in cages. And that, egg-lovers, is just not true!"

VAWA co-signed an open letter with several other organisations, and while there are many views within this group about animals and their use, we all agree that:

1. Colony cages do not meet the animal welfare needs of hens.

2. Labelling of eggs and reporting on how hens are kept in egg production systems must be accurate.

Our media release got picked up by Radio New Zealand, Scoop, Voxy, and the ODT's Rural Life, the Spinoff, NewsHub and NZ Herald shared our thoughts via the RNZ link.

3) Response to National's 2023 Farm Policy Proposals (livestock exports and winter grazing)

LIVESTOCK EXPORTS

“It is enormously disappointing to hear that the National would consider reinstating livestock exports. It’s especially disappointing given that several National Party MPs sat in on the Select Committee hearing where a harrowing description was given of animals’ experiences during livestock export."

WINTER GRAZING

"If the Freshwater Regulations are also rolled back, we will once again find farmers and the sector exposed by operators behaving in a way that further undermines social licence, has unacceptable animal welfare outcomes and fails to protect our land and water."

4) A New Dawn for Animal Welfare: Celebrating New Zealand's Ban on Livestock Exports by Sea

Our press release was picked up by multiple media outlets, such as Dairy News, Rural News and Scoop.

“New Zealand's decision to ban livestock exports by sea is a testament to the nation's commitment to our animals’ welfare. This monumental move elevates the country's status as a global leader in animal welfare and sets a precedent for other nations to follow."

“New Zealand's decision to ban livestock exports by sea can serve as a catalyst for change in global agricultural systems..."