ANIMAL FARMING
Animal farming (especially cows and sheep) is taking over forests/woods and it’s the major cause of fires, pollution, deforestation and climate change.
I recently visited New Zealand, The Lord Of The Rings land and a natural paradise for nature and animals lovers. New Zealand is home to 3 million people and 60 million sheep. The sheep-to-person ratio has fallen but there are still about six sheep per person (the ratio was 22-1 in the ‘80s). New Zealanders have also long been outnumbered by cattle, although not to the same extent as by sheep. It’s crazy and scary!
People exploit sheep for a couple of reasons: wool and milk. The wool industry is not profitable anymore with the advent of modern textile. However, as a kiwi friend of mine pointed out, between 2008 and 2013 imports of whole milk powder to China increased more than 6-fold to over 600,000 tonnes, with 91% imported from New Zealand. “The dairy export boom has contributed to the prosperity of rural New Zealand, creating employment, supporting rural services and businesses and revitalising rural communities. However, critics have argued that this has been at a cost to the environment. Environmental impacts associated with dairying arise from the conversion of land to dairying, which can involve the removal of forestry or wetlands, with a loss of biodiversity; intensive stocking and grazing, leading to soil erosion and damage to soil structures; the draining of water tables for irrigation; and pollution from animal waste and chemical contaminants, contributing to nutrient overload and lake eutrophication”.
On top of it, New Zealand has a long history of animal cruelty and neglect. “Newsroom's story about the Northland farm manager caught by hidden cameras beating dairy cows with a steel pipe is one in a long line of cases of neglect and ill-treatment of farm animals”. The Ministry for Primary Industries has repeatedly shown it is not willing to enforce animal welfare laws. Now it's time to give the job to someone who will act. Read more here.
When I took the ferry to go from the North Island to the South Island, a truck full of sheep was embarked as well. The truck had several floors overcrowded by sheep that had no space to move, no food/water, just a little air and no repair from the sun - they didn’t even bother to park the truck somewhere in shade and they left the sheep inside the truck under the heating sun of the hot NZ summer at lunch time!
For all the dogs lover out there: the base of the truck has 2 metallic boxes on the right and left sides and guess who was confined in that cooking oven with just a small rounded door for fresh air? The shepherd dog!
The sheep had to stand on hard floors for hours: only to check-in and check-out for the ferry took 5hours; on top of it who knows where the sheep were put on the truck and when they will be released on the ground (or on a slaughterhouse).
No doubts those animals were suffering from fatigue, heat stress, overcrowding and related injuries. And of course some of the sheep might be sick and spreading diseases, or injured, or left to die, and literally cooking from the inside.
The live export trades carrying tons of sheep and cattle across the sea every week. And let me tell you:
they don’t care about animal welfare. It’s just about numbers and money...which would be fine if we were talking about tons of grains, not living sentient beings capable of suffering and feeling pain.
This horror happens everywhere in the world, not only in NZ.
On a brighter note, New Zealand is a beautiful country where to hike and reconnect with nature, with plenty of opportunity to volunteer in natural parks or animal shelters.