FARMERS TRY TO CONCEAL PIG WELFARE DATA

By AMANDA FISHER - The Dominion Post

A leaked email shows pig farmers want to avoid public scrutiny by evading the Official Information Act so they will not face "embarrassment" from the conditions reported at their piggeries.

The results of a nationwide audit, led by the Pork Industry Board, are subject to the act and would ordinarily be accessible by the public.

However, the board has admitted it will deliberately evade the act, prompting the Ombudsmen's Office to say there appeared to be grounds for a complaint and subsequent investigation.

The audit was announced last year, after a public outcry over footage showing the conditions for sows kept in crates at Kuku Beach Piggery near Levin.

The same piggery is under its third Agriculture and Forestry Ministry investigation after animal welfare group Open Rescue said it discovered pigs with bleeding sores, bloody feet and one with an infected ear.

The leaked email, sent to farmers on behalf of the Pork Industry Board, said: "It is likely there will be a number of farms requiring corrective actions and ... those actions could cause embarrassment to the farmer if made public and could cause embarrassment to the industry if used by animal welfarists, [so] some alternatives to current procedures were put forward."

A suggested alternative would mean only the farmer and auditor would hold "completed documentation", with the board notified of pass, fail, or "pending corrective actions (unspecified)".

Board chief executive Sam McIvor said its legal advice suggested the audit report would belong to the farmer, meaning it was personal information.

Before farmers agreed to the voluntary nationwide audit, many had requested that information remain private, Mr McIvor said. The board had to balance the interests of farmers with the interests of the public.

He said the board wanted to be accountable to pork-buying customers, but most customers did not care about farm conditions, just whether they had passed a minimum standard. "There does have to be some trust and the customers need to be able to trust us that we have the processes in place."

There was a "question mark" about whether the board, which was primarily funded by farmers, should even be covered by the OIA.

SAFE spokesman Hans Kriek said the email revealed the lengths to which the board would go to avoid public scrutiny. "It obviously shows that they're not transparent."

The email was passed on by someone unhappy with the board's response to publicity about sows living in crates, he said. "There's dissent within the pig industry ... because of the bad leadership that has been shown."

Deputy Ombudsman Leo Donnelly said the email could constitute the basis of a complaint to the Ombudsmen's Office and if a complaint was received, it would be investigated to see whether there had been "maladministration". "If it's their audit and they're accountable for it ... to somehow hide the information ... probably would be something that an Ombudsman would want to look at."

The board might not be able to hide behind the claim that it did not actually hold information, because information held by independent contractors was deemed to be held by the organisation for which they worked.

The Ombudsmen's Office took complaints of deliberate evasion very seriously, he said.

Kuku Beach Piggery owner and former pork board chairman Colin Kay said there were "definitely" no welfare concerns at the piggery and he was a target of the political agenda of "extremist vegetarians".

Out of 1500 pigs at the farm, the latest footage found only three with problems, one of which had since been put down. "This is the reality of farming."

A MAF spokeswoman said Mr Kay's three piggeries had been visited five times since 2006 and, aside from one "minor modification" to infrastructure at one piggery, there were no issues.

A report on the current investigation was due back early next week.

EXPOSED PIG FARM, CONTINUES TO SHOCK

Fifteen months after comedian Mike King entered a Levin intensive piggery and filmed conditions that shocked the nation, disturbing new footage of the same farm, shown on Close Up tonight, reveals conditions have deteriorated even further and pig suffering has increased. The shocking footage has disgusted SAFE, who is demanding the farm be closed down immediately.

The footage, filmed by Open Rescue, who also accompanied Mike King on the Levin farm last year, reveals stressed and injured sows tightly packed in crates or confined in small concrete pens. The grisly film shows pigs suffering from a variety of injuries that include bleeding sores caused by constant contact with the bars, flesh wounds that appear to be gangrenous and bloody feet, and includes images of one sow with a badly infected and swollen ear.

"This is the third time this farm has been exposed as posing serious animal welfare problems. This new footage reveals nothing has changed and pigs are continuing to suffer in horrific, cruel confinement systems," says SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek.

"The sow with the grossly infected and swollen ear would be in extreme pain. The footage shows the surrounding area is covered with her blood. Another sow has an open wound with flesh that appears to be so infected it has turned black, and another was unable to stand up," says Mr Kriek.

"Despite last year's public outcry over pig welfare on factory farms, it appears nothing has been done to alleviate the suffering of these poor animals," says Mr Kriek.

SAFE has made a complaint to MAF and called for an immediate investigation, however the group is not confident this will bring about any meaningful change for the animals. The farm, owned by former Pork Board director Colin Kay, has been investigated twice before, and despite obvious animal suffering, MAF cleared the farm on both occasions.

"You really have to wonder what it will take before the animals living in this hellhole will get the help they so desperately need," says Mr Kriek.

Last year the Pork Board announced that Colin Kay's farm would close down in the near future. SAFE calls on MAF and the Pork Board to step in and ensure that this farm will be closed immediately.

Click here to watch latest news. 

PORK LABELLING ATTACKED.
SAFE ACCUSES INDUSTRY OF DECEPTION

Comedian Mike King is accusing the pork industry of "deception" over promises to make factory pig farming methods transparent and protect animal welfare.

A new label developed by NZPork saying "100% NZPork Welfare Approved" - soon to be used on some shop-sold pork - will not say if pigs are reared in sow crates (metal cages, for sows during pregnancy, which are so small sows cannot turn around) and farrowing stalls (just wide enough to enable pigs to lie down to nurse).

The pork industry argues the cages immobilise pigs to stop them fighting and mounting each other when on heat. But the cages also increase pigs' stress levels.

A Colmar Brunton Survey carried out late last year showed 77% of New Zealanders want a ban on sow stalls and farrowing crates, another 77% want production methods displayed on pork labels.

Sow crates are banned in the United Kingdom and parts of the United States. Tasmania this month announced a ban on sow stalls by 2017, and last week the Australian pork industry initiated public consultation about a voluntary ban on sow stalls.

As part of a TV One documentary screened in May last year, King, formerly the frontman for NZPork, broke into a factory pig farm with animal activists and filmed distressed pigs in sow crates screaming and frothing at the mouth.

He told the Sunday Star-Times the new labels amounted to "deception". "You can't hide from the truth but you can dress it up in fancy clothes, and that's what they're doing."

NZPork's chief executive Sam McIvor denied the label would mislead shoppers "as the welfare of those animals will have been checked against our audit system and those animals' welfare will have been proven to be excellent".

But Safe's campaign director Hans Kriek said virtually all pig farmers would qualify to use the "Welfare Approved" label since the audit used the current welfare code for pigs, from 2005, which allows sow crates and farrow stalls. He said the label was "meaningless" and "designed to fool people".

Following the TV documentary, McIvor said: "We will develop a product labelling descriptor system that will allow wholesalers and retailers to clearly identify the production system their pork has been grown under."

But last week McIvor told the Sunday Star-Times that he had not meant consumer labels would show if sow crates and farrowing stalls were used - rather, NZPork had issued definitions of production methods for the industry's own use.

The National Animal Welfare Advisory Council is revamping the 2005 welfare code - with new limits for the amount of time sow crates can be used after a sow has given birth (four weeks), and a proposed ban on them by 2017.
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McIvor said people who did not like current pig farming methods could buy more expensive "free farmed" and "free range" pork, which made up about 4% of sales.

PORK LABELLING DECEPTIVE

New Zealand Pork's new initiative to introduce a ‘100% New Zealand Welfare Approved Pork' label is designed to increase sales, not animal welfare, says SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek.

After last year's Mike King expose of cruel factory pig farming, NZ Pork, with its back against the wall, promised to label its products according to production methods and carry out compulsory animal welfare audits of its farms.

"Both promises turn out to be complete rubbish," says Hans. "The so called ‘animal welfare' audits are simply a ploy to allow farmers to use the ‘100% Welfare Approved Pork' label. Farms will be audited against the current pig welfare code - the very code that allows the cruel use of sow crates and fattening pens. This means that all farms that abide by this code will pass the audit and will be allowed to call their products 100% welfare approved! Needless to say that the industry has broken its promise to label according to production method, so consumers will still be kept in the dark as to whether sow stall, farrowing crates or fattening pens were used or not."

Sadly the SPCA has provided input in the development of this nonsensical audit. SPCA chief executive Robyn Kippenberger said the agency opposed the use of stalls and crates.

"By sitting at the table, we may not get the sows out of stalls faster, but at least they will be better looked after while they are there," Kippenberger said.

However SAFE feel this position is disappointing and will result in consumers being mislead over deceptive labelling.

"I believe the SPCA's involvement is disappointing and alarming. There is no doubt that NZ Pork will use the good name of the SPCA to promote its label, and this may see many people unwittingly buying factory farmed pork believing that it is SPCA approved," says Hans.

The true colours of NZ Pork were revealed when SAFE obtained a copy of their submission to the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee under the Official Information Act. In their submission, NZ Pork calls on NAWAC to allow the ongoing use of sow stalls for five weeks, and farrowing crates for six weeks per pregnancy cycle.

"This means that sows would be confined to a crate for at least half their lives - a clear breach of the Animal Welfare Act," says Hans.

The stubborn insistence of NZ Pork to keep its cruel sow stalls is in strong contrast to developments taking place in the Australian pig industry. Rivalea, Australia's largest pork producer, is phasing out the use of sow stalls for its 45,000 sows (as many sows as the whole New Zealand industry combined) by 2017.

Rivalea managing director, Paul Pattison, said the expensive move was based on commercial reasoning. "There is no point trying to defend a production system which, in the eyes of the consumer, is indefensible."

"Rivalea makes a mockery of NZ Pork's claims that New Zealand pigs enjoy better welfare than their Australian counterparts," says Hans. "By refusing to move with the times, the New Zealand pig industry will be the maker if its own demise."

DISTURBING NEW PIG CRUELTY FOOTAGE REVEALS NO CHANGE TO PIG WELFARE

The cruelty of the New Zealand pig industry has once again been exposed as disturbing new footage on TV One's Close Up programme tonight reveals there is no change to the way tens of thousands of pigs are being reared on factory farms.

SAFE says assurances from the New Zealand Pork Industry Board that pig welfare is being taken seriously are nothing more than hollow talk. Almost one year after comedian Mike King exposed pig cruelty on factory farms in New Zealand, pigs continue to endure a living hell, says the group.

Members of Open Rescue, who supplied SAFE with the original footage, visited three Waikato piggeries last week and filmed appalling scenes of injured, dead and dying piglets and sows confined in tiny farrowing crates, lying in their own excrement in filthy, fly-infested sheds. The group also found dead piglets, some of which had been cannibalised, scattered outside or dumped in bins.

"This new footage reveals that the pig industry has failed to rectify serious welfare problems despite unprecedented public outrage over pig cruelty. Promises by the NZ Pork Industry Board to undertake animal welfare audits are nothing short of utter nonsense and their failure to take action to relieve the suffering of tens of thousands of pigs is reprehensible," says SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek.

The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) has recommended a phase-out of sow stalls (pregnant sows confined in crates) but it will continue to allow farrowing crates, despite these crates being in breach of New Zealand animal welfare legislation.

"SAFE is appalled that NAWAC has no intention of banning farrowing crates, and will urge the Minister of Agriculture, David Carter, not to sign off a code that fails to uphold the Animal Welfare Act and allows the ongoing suffering of pigs," says Mr Kriek.

Public submissions on the draft code closed on April 16 2010. SAFE staged a nationwide campaign calling on New Zealanders to make submissions resulting on tens of thousands of submissions. In the coming weeks SAFE will reveal further details as to the success of the campaign and what is likely to happen in the coming months. 

YOUR SAY MATTERS! CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

Since the launch of the Your Say Matters! campaign, SAFE has distributed 30,000 submission postcards, 7000 people have made online submissions, 2500 people have sent personal messages to John Key and a national advertising campaign has begun.

SAFE's powerfully emotive ‘Help Lucy' television advertisement has been revised and returned to TV3, C4 and SkyDigital, urging views to make online submissions. Thanks to the amazing generosity of SAFE supporter Jewel Scott, every issue of the Herald on Sunday newspaper for the next 3 weeks includes a large advertisement highlighting the plight of pigs. Other supporters have also pledged to donate towards newspaper adverts so SAFE is liaising with other papers for more inclusions.

DRAFT CODE SPELLS CONTINUED CRUELTY

Proposed changes to the pig welfare code released for public consultation must be vehemently challenged, says SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek. He examines the draft code to reveal what it means for pigs in New Zealand.

The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) released the long awaited draft code for public consultation on the third of March. NAWAC intended to release the draft code last December but the New Zealand Pork Industry Board threatened NAWAC with legal action, clearly disgruntled with what it meant for their industry.

The public had until 16 April 2010 to make written submissions.

CODE SPELLS ‘PIGS IN CRATES FOREVER'

The draft welfare code for pigs, released for public consultation today, continues to allow the pig industry to use cruel crates indefinitely.

SAFE says that while the draft code, developed by National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), does propose to restrict the use of sow stalls before ultimately phasing them out, it excludes banning farrowing crates, used for mothers and their piglets, which are equally cruel.

"According to the draft code, NAWAC intends to reduce the use of sow stalls to the first four weeks of a sow's pregnancy by the end of 2012. NAWAC also states that a total ban on sow stalls will be set in place after submissions and economic analysis have taken place," says SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek.

"NAWAC further states there is no scientific evidence that sow stalls provide significant animal welfare benefits for sows compared to alternative systems, and favours a total ban by December 2017. However SAFE wants a ban now, not in seven years," says Mr Kriek.

SAFE says the public will be further appalled to hear that once this code is made law, the pig industry will still be permitted to keep sows with piglets, in cruel confinement systems.

"NAWAC has no intention of ending the use of farrowing crates, meaning that tens of thousands of sows will continue to be forced to raise their babies inside the harsh environment of a crate," says Mr Kriek.

The New Zealand Pork Industry Board delayed the release of the draft code in December last year after threatening NAWAC with legal action.
"SAFE applauds NAWAC for not backing down on its intended sow stall ban despite legal threats by the pig industry, but we have serious concerns that the draft code does not go far enough to prevent widespread suffering in the pig industry," says Mr Kriek.

TAKE ACTION:

Next week SAFE intends to launch its campaign, urging New Zealanders to make a submission calling for an immediate ban on all sow crates.
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST to be notified when you can make a submission.

Click here to view the draft pig code and supporting documents on the MAF site.

LEAKED PIG CODE SPELLS END OF SOW CRATES

A leaked copy of the tightly guarded draft pig code reveals why the pork industry threatened legal action to suppress crucial information related to the banning of sow crates, says national animal advocacy group SAFE.

"A written request to obtain the draft code under the Official Information Act was refused by MAF's director general who wrongfully stated that the document did not exist," says SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek. "The draft pig welfare code has been a closely guarded secret and now we know why."

The draft code, developed by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), was to be released for public notification in December 2009 but was delayed following legal threats from the New Zealand Pork Industry Board.

"According to the draft code, NAWAC intends to reduce the use of sow crates to the first four weeks of a sow's pregnancy by the end of 2012. NAWAC also states that a ban on sow crates will be set in place after submissions and economic analysis have taken place," says Mr Kriek.

"NAWAC further states there is no scientific evidence that sow crates provide significant animal welfare benefits for sows compared to alternative systems, and prefers a ban by December 2017," says Mr Kriek.

SAFE suspects that the legal threats by New Zealand Pork Industry Board have already caused NAWAC to backtrack from the leaked version and expects the final draft code to be weakened, resulting in more pig suffering.

"The public will be appalled to hear that sows will continue to be confined to these cruel crates for at least seven years, if not longer," says Mr Kriek.

SAFE will be urging New Zealanders to make a submission calling for an immediate ban on sow crates once the draft is released for public consultation.

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PORK BOARD THREATENS LEGAL ACTION

The release of a new welfare code for pig farming has been delayed after the Pork Industry Board threatened to take legal action.

The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) has been reviewing the code after public concern over the use of sow crates to house pigs. NAWAC was planning to put the draft code out for public consultation mid December until it received a letter threatening legal action.

NAWAC chair John Hellstrom says the pork industry accepted recommendations in the draft report to restrict the use of sow crates to four weeks per year from 2013 but was unhappy with the view that they could be banned altogether.

Agriculture Minister David Carter says he is frustrated and annoyed by the delay and feels the pork industry has been consulted enough on the issue.

"The threat of legal action by the Pork Board comes as no surprise", says SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek. "The Pork Board has successfully used similar tactics in the past and they are obviously hoping that they will once again succeed in scaring NAWAC away from banning their cruel farming systems. NAWAC's first draft code on pigs back in 2003 also contained a phase out of sow stalls but this clause was removed after industry pressure. This time however it will be almost impossible for NAWAC to give in, as they are close watched by the media and the New Zealand public wants to see change. Sow stalls are in breach of New Zealand animal welfare legislation. To allow their ongoing use would destroy NAWAC's already shaky reputation once and for all and this is something they will be acutely aware of", says Hans. It is now expected that the draft code will be put out for public consultation early in 2010 and SAFE will follow any developments very closely.

PIG CODE OUT SOON

According to the Minister of Agriculture David Carter, the draft pig code will be released next month for public consultation. SAFE expects the release will coincide with its annual appeal in an attempt to diminish criticism, because the code is likely to anger SAFE and all others demanding a ban on pig crates.

While the majority of New Zealanders want a ban on sow and farrowing crates, SAFE believes the draft code will not ban either. Instead, it is understood that by 2012 pig farmers will have to limit the time a pregnant sow can be confined in a sow crate to 4 weeks. Currently it can be as much as for the sow's entire pregnancy. Most important, since an industry sow is pregnant 2.5 times a year, she will be crated for 10 weeks inside a sow crate. Add to this her incarceration inside a farrowing crate and you have a sow confined to a tiny crate for over 20 weeks a year. SAFE asks the Minister, is this really progress?

"While we always believed the code of welfare review process was never going to truly help pigs we did quietly expect the Minister and his animal welfare advisors would at the very least ban cruel pig crates on animal welfare grounds," says SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek.

SAFE will be demanding a complete ban on the use of sow and farrowing crates in its submission and is asking its supporters to do the same during the submission process.

Meanwhile, SAFE continues to maintain its consumer pressure through its powerful advertising campaign. Thousands have already pledged their support against pig cruelty and to no longer buy pork products. SAFE remains busy sending out hundreds of action packs each week to those registering their support online.

INDUSTRY OUTED FOR MORE PIG CRUELTY
New evidence reveals pig cruelty continues on New Zealand farms.

SAFE has commenced an unprecedented consumer-focussed assault on the nation's pig industry following the Campbell Live programme. National animal advocacy group SAFE says new video footage reveals pig cruelty is still rife on New Zealand pig farms.

SAFE also claims the pig-farm audit and proposed labelling scheme announced by the pig industry, both intended to address pig welfare issues, are meaningless.

"The pig-farm audit is a waste of time since the pig code of welfare allows pig farmers to use cruel practices on their farms. The labelling of pig products suggested by the Pork Board will be a voluntary scheme that will not help consumers or pigs. No factory pig farmer is going to voluntarily tell consumers they use cruel pig crates," says Hans Kriek, SAFE's campaign director.

"The NZ Pork Industry Board has failed to convince us they have done anything meaningful to help pigs since the serious allegations of pig cruelty exposed by Mike King earlier this year. Those same pigs we saw on television in May are undoubtedly still inside those crates today," says Mr Kriek.

An internal memo leaked to SAFE reveals the NZ Pork Industry Board wants to retain the use of sow and farrowing crates, a move that will see sows in crates for a total of 20 weeks per year.

"Any suggestion of phasing out the use of sow crates by the pig industry is rubbish. The NZ Pork Industry Board has no intention of supporting a ban on cruel confinement systems, and we can prove it," says Mr Kriek.

SAFE says the public will also be bitterly disappointed to learn that the new pig code of welfare, as promised this year by the Minister of Agriculture, has also been delayed.

"SAFE understands the review of the pig code by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee is well behind schedule. We doubt we will see any sign of a draft code this year, which will mean over 20,000 pigs in crates will continue to suffer until next year, if not longer," says Mr Kriek.

SAFE has released a series of consumer-focused television advertisements fronted by Mike King. The commercials have been produced with the assistance of top creative advertising agencies in Australia and New Zealand.

"Consumers are being encouraged to pressure supermarkets to stop selling factory farmed pork and to accurately label the pig meat that they sell in their stores," says Mr Kriek.

VIGIL FOR PIGS

A weekend-long vigil held recently outside a factory pig farm near Palmerston North successfully maintained a 30-strong crowd of peaceful demonstrators.

The weekend-long series of protest actions was kicked off with a peaceful night time candle-lit vigil outside the Kuku Beach piggery. The group was joined by Green MP Sue Kedgley, who gave a heartfelt and inspiring speech in opposition to factory farming. The SAFE-led group continued the vigil throughout the weekend during daylight hours.

Local SAFE coordinator Mary Murray says the vigil received widespread public support.

"Many locals decided to join the protests and lots of passing motorists tooted in support, which was very encouraging. We also appeared on local radio and in the local newspaper," says Mary.

PIG FARM CLEARED

A MAF investigative report has cleared an intensive piggery, exposed on the Sunday programme last month, of any breach of the law. The 23-page report states the Levin pig farm, owned by a leading New Zealand pig farmer and former director of the New Zealand Pork Industry Board, provides "very high" animal care and husbandry standards and that no offences were observed.

MAF's findings come as no surprise to SAFE, which predicted MAF's response from the outset.

"SAFE did not make a complaint about this farm as we realised that the farmer was working within the law and that an investigation would make no difference to the animals, and we were proven right," says campaign director Hans Kriek.

The MAF report is evidence that New Zealand's animal welfare law is out of touch with the thinking of most New Zealanders. The entire nation was shocked at the appalling conditions the pigs were being farmed in. The exposé prompted Prime Minister John Key to say that he found the images of crated pigs ‘very, very disturbing.' The Minister of Agriculture, David Carter, said he was ‘equally disturbed by the images shown and found them unacceptable.'

In the report the Minister's own officials have now told him that in fact these terrible conditions are perfectly legal.

"SAFE believes that the Minister of Agriculture has little choice but to change the law to ensure that practices he and the rest of the nation consider unacceptable are no longer allowed. The Minister must use the upcoming review of the pig code of welfare to introduce a ban on the use of pig crates. Anything short of that would be a national disgrace," says Hans.

In the meantime consumers need to continue to play their part.

"The pigs shown in the Sunday programme are still inside those crates today. They will still be there tomorrow. It is likely sows will still be in pig crates for many years to come unless consumers boycott factory farmed pig products immediately," says Hans.

A COUNTRY PASSIONATE ABOUT PIGS!

We did it! The nation finally knows about pig cruelty in New Zealand. It might have taken over twenty years of battling, however in just two weeks nearly every New Zealander has seen the reality of modern pig farming. Hundreds of media stories have appeared since the exposé on the Sunday programme that saw Mike King speak out emotionally and passionately against his former employer for their cruel and barbaric treatment of pigs. Public meetings and actions continue to be staged around the country as the nation continues to be outraged. More...

A NATION AWOKEN TO PIG CRUELTY

Since the exposé of the plight of factory farmed pigs in New Zealand during the exclusive 24-minute Sunday programme the nation hasn't stopped talking about pigs. New Zealand remains stunned in the wake of disturbing footage taken inside a New Zealand intensive piggery. The footage exposed the reality of factory farming as witnessed by comedian, and former pork industry poster boy, Mike King.

Almost every media network dedicated time and headline space to highlighting how pigs live in New Zealand. Since the Sunday programme aired SAFE media spokesperson Hans Kriek has been whirled away in what can only be described as a media frenzy. More...

SWINE FLU: IS INTENSIVE PIG FARMING TO BLAME?

Finger pointing towards intensive farming is spreading like the H1N1 virus itself; it's time for an urgent inquiry to find out the facts. MORE...

Latest media stories on swine flu

TV One news: Peru confirms swine flu

Reuters: Canada reports first swine flu death

Reuters: Flu fears prompts new ban on pork imports

Stuff: Flu pandemic would hit Maori harder

The Guardian: Is intensive pig farming to blame?

Stuff: Mexico flu death toll rises

Pig Progress:  Mexico: pork sales down 80% since flu outbreak

Stuff: Swine flu kills second person in US

TV One news: Sixth confirmed case of swine flu in NZ

NZ Herald: Govt right to front up on swine flu

NZ Herald: Swine flu mutates as human gives virus to pigs

The Daily Mail: 'The smell is so awful that I start to vomit': Is this farm the Ground Zero of swine flu?

NZ Herald:  Swine flu: Angry residents believe pig farm is ground zero

Sunday Herald: Intensive farming breeds more than cheap food

TV HOST EXTENDS CAMPUS SUPPORT

SAFE met former TV host Darcy Peacock last week in his new role as President of the Auckland University Students' Association (AUSA). Darcy is an active animal campaigner and the nation's first vegan student president.

The former Alt TV host says that like many others he was dissatisfied with what the former president was doing and thought he could do a better job. So he ran for election and won.

He did not run on a campaign to turn the whole university campus vegan, however he is committed to "educating people on how they can be responsible" and to raise the level of awareness of what is important about being vegan and what things people can do to help animals.

With the group Animal Advocacy on Campus also starting this year it provides a great chance to raise these issues, and as a concerned president to provide strong support.

He is already organising a screening of Earthlings for executive officers, and one of his main aims is to promote a move towards a ‘free-range' campus as was done in Canterbury University last year. Darcy recently visited the SAFE team while they were holding a stall on campus to campaign against the factory farming of pigs. He is pictured here in a model sow crate at the stall.

Darcy says that though he was vegetarian for a long time something was missing, and when he moved in with "a bunch of lovely people who happened to be vegan" he never looked back. He is a big fan of avocado sushi ("avocado is like a gift from the gods"), however it's still hard to find good food on campus, as there is only so much sushi you can eat. SAFE wishes him all the best in starting the change!