As calving season begins across New Zealand, the Animal Justice Party (AJP) is calling for urgent action after receiving graphic and deeply disturbing footage from an anonymous source. The footage, which can be seen here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UiE54-VirNTkuVbyvyi0t0Vt5oaxB-tS/view] , shows bobby calves suffering agonising deaths inside a North Island slaughterhouse.

In the video five baby calves can be seen writhing, lashing, and gasping in large pools of their own blood, sprawled across a cold concrete floor. As their legs kick desperately, the suffering is unmistakable. Their lives are ending in what can only be described as a state of panic and unbearable pain.

While AJP cannot reveal the exact location due to confidentiality concerns, it confirms the source has been deemed credible and the footage authentic.

Danette Wereta, General Secretary of the Animal Justice Party, says the footage is haunting. “This footage will keep me awake at night,” she said. “But I still encourage everyone to watch it. These baby calves deserve to be seen. We need to face the horror that underpins dairy, because this is not an anomaly. It is the system.” AJP understands the calves shown were condemned on arrival to the slaughterhouse and as a consequence were killed separately from the thousands of others slaughtered at this facility that day. The reason for their condemnation is unknown, however, common reasons include:too weak to move or walk by themselves, underweight or poor condition, dehydration, infections or injuries.

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Under the Animal Welfare Act 1999, animals must be handled, transported, and killed in a way that minimises unnecessary pain and distress. AJP believes what is revealed in the footage breaches these basic legal protections and will call on MPI to launch an immediate investigation.

Cows are forcibly impregnated annually to make milk. Each year, over 1.8 million bobby calves, mostly males deemed surplus to the dairy industry, are taken from their mothers within 24 hours of birth. Calves can legally be transported for up to 12 hours once they are just four days old. Exhausted, scared, hungry, and alone, many arrive at slaughter facilities already weak - some do not survive the journey.

“This is the cost of milk and cheese,” says Wereta. “Consumers are told New Zealand dairy is clean and kind with clever marketing. But behind the curtain are discarded babies, bleeding out on concrete floors.” The Animal Justice Party is urging the public to demand transparency, reject cruelty, and consider the lives hidden behind every glass of milk.

Wereta adds “I cannot imagine anyone watching this footage and not feeling upset or horrified. The only good news is that we all have the power to stop it. Yes, an investigation is needed, but this will keep happening. The industry is built on cruelty. We can stop it simply by no longer consuming dairy. And with so many health benefits to plant-based alternatives, there is no better time to make the change.”

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