The SPCA’s national chief executive is warning the premature birthing of calves could harm New Zealand’s farming reputation.

Dairy farmers deliberately birth thousands of calves prematurely each year in a practice known as “inducing”. The vet gives the cows two injections, so their calves will be born 8-12 weeks premature.

The practice is done to get all cows in a herd to calve at the same time, and produce milk earlier. It means many calves are born dead, but some are born still alive and have to be euthanised.

Around 200,000 calves were induced each year and although it’s legal, it had become an ethical issue dividing the dairy industry.

SPCA national chief Robyn Kippenberger said the practice of inducing would come as a shock to many New Zealanders.

“It’s an awful look,” she said on TVNZ’s News at 8, saying the practice could have worldwide implications.

“The problem we have is that people aren’t coming to terms with the fact that this is now global, it’s now on YouTube, people in Europe can see it, and that’s the market for our milk.”

Kippenberger acknowledged not all farmers induced calves, but that the ones that did “must demonstrate that they have good practices”.

Many vets, including Bernice Mangnall from Canterbury, were also against the practice.
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“Times have changed, public perception has changed and the requirements on the overseas market have changed,” she said. “So this is just moving it on … and phasing it out.”

Inductions were introduced 40 years ago. They are legal but the government’s code of welfare for dairy cattle said it was best practice not to do them.

The industry originally agreed to end inductions in October but it had since decided to gradually phase them out.

Wayne Ricketts of the NZ Veterinary Association said on TV ONE’s Breakfast programme he had been talking over a period of months with Federated Farmers and Dairy NZ about phasing-out the process.

He said it’s time to “move on” and change the process, but does not think the practice is cruel.

“We’ve actually got some very strict guidelines in place, which are very much around animal welfare.”

He said he does not think there will be a drop-off in milk production once the process is banned.

“Overall, there won’t be a marked drop. Things like the bad weather we had here in Wellingtonn last night will make more of a drop in milk production.”

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