Code of welfare reviews

Codes of animal welfare set out the minimum standards and recommended best practices for animal care. The codes are part of the Animal Welfare Act 1999. They are developed by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) and issued by the Minister for Primary Industries.

The NZVA advocates on behalf of members by:

providing advice and recommendations to NAWAC
making submissions during the public consultation period
working with relevant industry bodies to align messaging
liaising with relevant ministers and MPs
when appropriate, sharing position statements and press releases with the media to raise public awareness.

Steps to developing an animal welfare code

NZVA submissions on code of welfare reviews

In May 2025, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) consulted on proposed changes to the Code of Welfare for Sheep and Beef Cattle (the Code). Submissions closed on 15 July 2025.

Proposed changes included:

incorporating dairy sheep into the Code
amended behavioural provisions for sheep and beef cattle
new minimum standards for animals in off-paddock facilities and feedlots
regulation to prohibit the use of electro-immobilisation devices.

Consultation documents

> Code of Welfare: Sheep and Beef Cattle Proposed Changes

> NAWAC Code of Welfare for Sheep and Beef Cattle: Draft for Consultation

> NAWAC Code of Welfare Evaluation Report: Sheep and Beef Cattle

NZVA's views

The NZVA strongly supports the Code’s overarching purpose of setting minimum standards and recommended best practices that protect and promote the welfare of animals under human care. As the professional body representing veterinarians, we have a unique perspective on both the science underpinning welfare standards and the practical realities of implementing these requirements on New Zealand farms. In preparing this submission, we considered the:

available scientific evidence underpinning each proposal
experience of veterinarians who routinely advise, monitor, and intervene in sheep and beef production systems
diversity of farming operations
importance of balancing improvements in animal welfare with achievable, practical implementation.

While we broadly support measures to strengthen welfare protections, we have identified several areas of concern regarding practicality, clarity, and evidence base. Our submission outlines these concerns in detail and offers recommendations to help ensure the Code remains fit for purpose, enforceable, and aligned with best practice veterinary advice.

> NZVA submission: Proposed amendments to the Code of Welfare for Sheep and Beef Cattle [July 2025]

In 2022, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) consulted on proposed changes to how pigs are farmed in New Zealand. Consultation closed on 8 July 2022.

A number of changes were proposed, including:

prohibiting or restricting of the use of farrowing crates
restricting the use of mating stalls
requiring manipulable (nesting) material to be provided prior to farrowing
increased space allowances for grower and weaner pigs
increased weaning age from 21 to 28 days.

Consultation documents

> Proposed Code of Welfare for Pigs and Associated Regulations: Discussion Paper

> NAWAC proposed Code of Welfare for Pigs

> NAWAC evaluation of the Code of Welfare for Pigs

> NAWAC five domains analysis

> Economic analysis of proposed changes to the Code of Welfare for Pigs

NZVA's views

The NZVA made a submission on behalf of members in July 2022.

> NZVA submission: Proposed changes to the Code of Welfare for Pigs

> NZVA Position Statement: Housing of lactating sows indoors

> NZVA Position Statement: Housing of growing pigs (post-weaning)

> NZVA Position Statement: Sow housing at mating

Outcome

On 1 October 2025, Associate Minister of Agriculture (Animal Welfare) Andrew Hoggard announced changes to the Animal Welfare Act 1999, which would come into effect on 19 December 2035.

Under the proposed new regulations:

minimum spacing requirements for grower pigs will increase by 13.3%
the time sows are confined in farrowing crates will be reduced from a maximum of 33 days to seven days, and a requirement to provide manipulable and deformable materials to enable farrowing sows to engage in nest-building behaviours
use of mating stalls will be limited to no more than three hours at a time, down from seven days.

Given the short (14-day) timeframe for public consultation, the NZVA wrote to Minister Hoggard to express serious concerns regarding the consultation process, communication, and procedural handling of the Animal Welfare (Regulations for Management of Pigs) Amendment Bill.

> NZVA letter to Minister Hoggard

In 2022, the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) consulted on proposed changes to the Code of Welfare for Dairy Cattle and associated recommendations for regulations. Consultation closed on 30 June 2022.

The main areas of proposed change were:

the use of electric devices to manage animal behaviour (including electro immobilisation)
body condition score
intensive winter grazing
shelter
provision of lying surfaces and limits for time on hard surfaces in off-paddock facilities
calf rearing
end-of-life management.

Consultation documents

> Proposed Code of Welfare for Dairy Cattle and associated regulations

> NAWAC dairy cattle code review evaluation report

> NAWAC proposed Code of Welfare for Dairy Cattle

NZVA's views

The NZVA made a submission on behalf of members in July 2022. We invited members to complete a copy of MPI’s consultation survey, and collected 54 responses. We also invited our Member Advisory Group (MAG), and committee members from our Dairy Cattle, Sheep and Beef Cattle, Epidemiology, Food Safety, Animal Welfare and Biosecurity (EFAB) branches to review our submission.

All survey participants expressed their desire for improved welfare outcome, however there are significant concerns about some of the proposals.

The NZVA found many inconsistencies, crossovers, and contradictions within the proposed Code. These provide further barriers that prevent us from fully assessing the impact of the changes being proposed. Many of the proposed changes do not provide sufficient discussion within the supplementary documents to give the NZVA a thorough understanding of the necessity of the changes or the wording used within the Code. Concerned members also questioned the degree of evidence provided within the supplementary documents.

The volume of changes proposed in the Code made it difficult to determine how the changes would impact dairy farming systems as whole. This is concerning, as the changes do not appear to align with NAWAC’s Guidelines for Writing Codes of Welfare. The guidelines state that codes are to be written in plain language, use short sentences, and avoid verbose language and unnecessary detail. In addition, the guidelines state that codes should not contain so much material that they become challenging to read and understand.

> NZVA Submission: Proposed changes to the Code of Welfare for Dairy Cattle