Tail docking will be banned unless by a vet treating significant injury or disease, one of 46 proposed additions to the Animal Welfare Act says.
An independent scientific review of docking concluded it was “a significant surgical procedure with the potential to cause considerable pain and distress” and wasn’t justified by any benefit to the dog, a Ministry for Primary Industries report said.
New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) head of veterinary services, Callum Irvine, said the organisation had long advocated the docking decision.
The new provisions also make pain relief compulsory for disbudding cattle, and introduce “enforceable” regulations for transporting lame, diseased or ill animals.
The full range of regulations covers stock transport, farm husbandry, companion and working animals, pigs, layer hens and the way animals are accounted for in research, testing and teaching.
“The NZVA acknowledges the enormous amount of work and consultation that has gone into the development of these regulations, and we applaud the ministry’s ongoing commitment to animal welfare in delivering them,” Irvine said.
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy said he hoped the additions would give animal welfare law more teeth, continuing the impetus of last year’s Young Calf and Live Animal Export regulations.
That law contributed to a reduction of more than 50% in mortality rates for bobby calves during the 2016 season, he said.
MPI aimed to have the latest regulations in law by the end of this year and in effect, after a transition period, before October 2018.
“The delayed lead-in time will enable farmers, processors, transporters and others to ensure that their systems are up and running before the new regulations take effect,” Guy said.
MPI last year consulted on 91 animal welfare regulations and received more than 1400 submissions from a wide range of individuals and organisations, all with different perspectives on animal welfare.
The remaining regulations that were consulted on last year would be considered in a third package in 2018, for introduction in 2019.
Animal welfare was extremely important to New Zealanders and the country’s international customers, Guy said.
In 2014, New Zealand’s animal welfare system was ranked first-equal out of 50 countries assessed by the global animal protection charity, World Animal Protection.
