Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Veterinarians gear up to help farmers with new regulations

Veterinarians gear up to help farmers comply with new animal welfare regulations

Veterinarians are gearing up to help farmers comply with new legal requirements to use local anesthetic during the removal of any horn tissue from cattle that will come into force from October 1 this year.

NZVA Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Helen Beattie says the NZVA has been educating members so they are ready to help farmers comply with changes to the Animal Welfare (Care and Procedures) Regulations.

"We support these changes as they are a win for animal welfare. They mean that the immediate pain associated with these common procedures should be eliminated for all cattle," says Helen Beattie.

She says it is important that farmers are aware of their obligations and how best to meet them.

Animal Welfare (Care and Procedures) regulation 57 (disbudding, which is the removal of horn tissue in calves) and regulation 58 (dehorning in cattle) require cattle undergoing disbudding or dehorning to be under the influence of appropriately placed and effective local anaesthetic pain relief (as a minimum).

Failure to comply may result in fines from $3000 for an individual to $25,000 for a body corporate.

In many cases horn removal is performed by veterinarians or technicians but farmers with appropriate training and a local anaesthetic veterinary authorisation may also perform the procedure.

"We have been working hard to ensure that veterinarians and farmers are well supported regarding these changes to make sure veterinarians can help farmers meet these requirements on-farm," she says.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

This has involved delivering a series of workshops to member veterinarians around the country outlining the new regulations and ways that veterinarians can help to ensure farmers can comply with them. "We have also developed new and updated existing policies, guidance and standard operating procedures, which include step-by-step best practice instructions for these common procedures."

Only veterinarians are legally mandated to authorise non-veterinarians to use registered veterinary medicines such as local anesthetic. Veterinarians can support farmers to comply with the new regulations in various ways. Veterinary staff (including veterinary technicians) can perform the procedures, a veterinary authorisation can be issued to the farmer (or person in charge), or veterinary operating instructions can be given to someone who is not the animal owner or person in charge.

"We encourage farmers to speak to their veterinarian about which option will work best for them."

More information on the new regulations, including guidance materials, policies and standard operating procedures for veterinarians (only accessible to NZVA members) can be found on the NZVA website.

ENDS


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.