Government blindsides SPCA with moves to keep cruel farrowing crates

The announcement of a new Bill has been made just weeks before farrowing crates were otherwise due to be banned on 18 December 2025.

Despite claims from Minister Andrew Hoggard that "key stakeholders" have been consulted, SPCA, New Zealand's leading animal welfare organisation, has not been engaged in any consultation on farrowing crate standards under the current Government.

"New Zealanders care about the welfare of farmed animals, this proposed change does not reflect that," says Dr Arnja Dale, SPCA's Chief Scientific Officer.

"Our laws should reflect current animal welfare science and public opinion, not roll back years of progress.

"It is unacceptable to see decisions of this scale being made without transparency and public input. It raises questions about who the Minister and the Ministry for Primary Industries did consult with."

Lack of progress and the potential threat of another judicial review may be why Minister Hoggard is proposing an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act itself, a highly unusual process, as all transitional regulations are usually under secondary legislation (Animal Welfare (Care and Procedures) Regulations 2018). This Bill will need to proceed at least partially under urgency in order to legally extend the transition period before the current transition ends on 18 December 2025.

At the last public consultation in June 2022, New Zealanders were given only two options: a complete ban on farrowing crates, or a limited period of confinement within a larger pen.

These proposals came from the Ministers' independent advisors, the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee. Now, years later, this Government has landed on an entirely different set of proposals that were never put to the public.

A ban on farrowing crates would have been truly world leading. Allowing the status quo for ten years is absolutely not world leading, and allowing the use of farrowing crates indefinitely after 2035 will be even less so.

Several countries have already banned farrowing crates, and industry-led pledges not to build any new crates have been agreed in other countries including in the UK and Denmark.

Crates, including temporary crating, restrict almost all sows' normal behaviours, including mother-young bonding and the ability to turn around. They contribute to health issues, such as pressure sores and lameness, and negatively affect piglet welfare, with higher rates of stillbirths and poorer maternal care.

"Animals may not be able to speak for themselves, but the people of New Zealand have spoken clearly: we want better for pigs," says Dr Dale.

"Government and industry have had more than two decades to plan responsibly for a future without crates, instead of taking this step backwards without appropriate consultation and transparency."

SPCA acknowledges the importance of the domestic pork sector and has consistently supported high welfare farming. However, SPCA believes the future of New Zealand pork lies in investing in higher-welfare systems and restricting low-welfare imports, not prolonging cruel practices at home.

SPCA is actively considering all avenues to challenge this decision.