New laws for farm animals at last......

[carole]

I feel like celebrating this news, at long last we are going to see some very important changes in how things are done on the farm.

It will soon be law that you cannot dock your cow's tails,(tail-docking of dogs was recently banned) and also sheep and lambs will have to have an anasthetic(sp) before docking or castrating, (not sure why they are still allowed to practice docking on sheep,) and there will be a requirement that all paddocks have shade or shelter for farm animals.

This is IMO long overdue, and I am thrilled to see that all these barbaric practices will be stopped, I have always felt all these to be extremely cruel and not necessary, and yes I am a farm girl born and bred.

Just had to share this good news.

[Laura's Babies]

Great news.... for the animals!

[slleipnir]

That's great news!

[slick]

sheep and lambs will have to have an anasthetic(sp) before docking or castrating,

WHAT?????? You mean they performed these practices without anything??? That's absolutely disgusting!!!

Yeah for making these changes. Chalk one up for your government.

[bckrazy]

Originally posted by slick

WHAT?????? You mean they performed these practices without anything??? That's absolutely disgusting!!!

yep, they still do that all the time in the US. . have you ever been to a working cow farm? It's HORRIBLE. The young bulls are lined up in a pen and they are castrated right there, one after the other. It's so bloody and disgusting. My ex-*friend* does this on her family farm, they say it doesnt hurt them that bad, they're just "stupid cows". They also have 5 ACD's who round up the cows and they feed them the bull testicles . . this girl also recently bought two super-gamey BYB Pit Bulls to train them to "work cows" and run alongside her horses (she intended to breed them a start a whole new line of "cow-working Pit Bulls" ), when one of them attacked a calf (HELLO, thats what APBT's are bred to do!) she had him euthanized and she gave the other pup to a similarly neglectful and stupid person. Her family also bought a Border Collie who was sheep-bred and let him out on cows when he was still a puppy, and he got kicked in the head and was euthanized because they didn't want to pay for surgery . . this all explains why she is not my friend anymore.

A lot of "farm" people around here, I really dislike them and hate how they treat animals like un-feeling, un-worthy pieces of meat. There are also tons of great farmers that I know, but I still think castrating animals without anything to help the pain is torturous. I'm really glad they're outlawing this in NZ. . I hope its banned in the US soon

[carole]

Yes Slick I agree it is disgusting, and to think it has taken NZ this long to do something about it, SHAME ON NZ, they put rubber rings on their tails and private bits I believe, they fall off in the end, I still think this would be very painful, imagine a tight rubber ring on your finger, until it cut off the circulation and fell off it would hurt wouldn't it?

Farm life is often cruel, and I am glad I no longer have to endure some of the things that happen, my Dad was as kind as he could be, but farm life is farm life, it all comes down to cost and making a living half the time, still I can remember good things on the farm as well, my sister and I helping a runt calf who would not feed on its mother, and bottle feeding it, so it survived, my Dad would not have had the time for it, but we did, and it was great to see it grow up and become one of our milkers.

Town people should not be hard on Farm people, you have to live the life to understand why some things just have to be the way they are, but for me I can not understand why any cruel practices have to be acceptable just because they are farm animals, they feel pain and suffering just like any other animal, I am over the moon to see these being outlawed here, I am just not proud it has taken so darn long.

I have always said to my hubby it should be mandatory that every paddock have a large tree for shade, or a shelter built, and now it looks like that will be the case YAHOO.

[slick]

Oh my gosh....I've got tears running down in sadness for these poor animals. I was born and raised in the city so have no idea of what goes on down on the farm. Oh God, it's the visual...I just can't imagine the pain they must feel. Thank you for opening up my eyes, so-to-speak.

[carole]

Sorry Slick I had no intention of upsetting you, but yes it is a reality, so you can see why I am so happy to hear this news, and to put an end to the long suffering these poor defenceless animals have suffered for years and still will in some countries.

How we can condone such cruelty, because they are farm animals, is beyond me, I just cannot understand it myself, it is like a previous poster said, we treat them like a hunk of meat, it is DISGUSTING.

Slick have some comfort in knowing that at least here in NZ, these poor creatures will no longer have to endure this.

[luvofallhorses]

Thank God! I never knew that, people can be so cruel

[Jadapit]

I have lived in farm country my whole life. One of the worst
things i have ever seen was branding. Omg, I was freaking out and crying it was awful. I have been to the sale barn (people sell their cows, horses, sheep, goats ect.....) many times and they way they treat the animals is so sad. The fun of country living sometimes.

Thats awesome they passed that law Carole. Maybe they will do it here in the States one day.

[luvofallhorses]

Originally posted by Jadapit
I have lived in farm country my whole life. One of the worst
things i have ever seen was branding. Omg, I was freaking out and crying it was awful. I have been to the sale barn (people sell their cows, horses, sheep, goats ect.....) many times and they way they treat the animals is so sad. The fun of country living sometimes.

Thats awesome they passed that law Carole. Maybe they will do it here in the States one day.

Yes, people branding rubs me the wrong way they say it doesn't hurt the cows/any animal yeah right

[Fox-Gal]

That's great news.

I have to ask, why do they even what to dock a cows tail? I live in cattle world around here and never seen anyone dock a cows tail. Seen them burn their horns down, castrating baby bulls and brand them, but never dock a tail.

I'm so glad to changed the laws there though, I wish they change some here too. I went to a friends ranch once when the where doing the baby bulls (castrating), even though it did'nt seem like they feel it.......I wanted to cry for them. and they way they did it.

And the shade thing is a big issuse, for me around here, summers are in the 100's and all they have is a palm tree to get under. I drive down the road and see 20 cows trying to stand under one small palm tree, trying to cool off..... Or else you have 100 cows all standing in a small pond of water, up to their knees, just to cool down. I hate seeing it.

[carole]

Fox-gal I am uncertain as to why they started docking cow's tails, there was a reason, but my memory fails me yet again, I know when my Dad was farming we were not doing it then.

Yes the shade thing bothers me too, Just imagine having to sit in the heat and not being able to get any shade, also with the tails docked they can not swat the flies away as well, now it has come to me, something to do with the tails either hitting the farmer in the face whilst milking , something along those lines.