More than 20 animal welfare charges have been laid against four shearers after an animal rights group gathered undercover footage showing graphic abuse of sheep.
By Keiller MacDuff for RNZ
The charges are part of an ongoing investigation by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), and stemmed from video footage from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as part of an exposé into more than 30 farms and shearing sheds.
The footage showed workers standing on a sheep's neck, dragging sheep across the floor, sewing up bloody wounds without painkillers, tackling and hitting sheep with blunt objects and the bodies of dead sheep scattered around the properties, the group said.
PETA Asia-Pacific President Jason Baker said the charges were historic, marking just the third time members of a shearing crew had faced animal cruelty charges - the other two instances were in Australia in 2014 and 2017.
"We are elated four people are charged," Baker told RNZ.
"But this is just 32 sheds. There's a thousand other sheds out there that we weren't in and this is standard industry practice."
PETA's investigators spent a total of five months inside woolsheds across New Zealand, eventually handing authorities more than 230 video files.
Baker said they deliberately delayed reporting to build a picture of systemic behaviour rather than isolated incidents.
"People have sometimes asked why we didn't report it in the first shed we were in, but we had to document to show that it was standard industry practice."
In a statement, MPI's director of investigations and compliance support Gary Orr said the ministry had identified eight individuals for further investigation, four of whom have already been charged.
"A warrant to arrest one of the four charged individuals has been issued. We are continuing our enquires into other related animal welfare matters," he said.
The footage PETA provided fell short of the standard expected of those responsible for animals, Orr said.
"People in charge of animals have a responsibility to make sure they are being cared for properly."
In December, the government and shearing industry announced a $75,000 programme to improve animal welfare in the industry.
The programme supports targeted training initiatives to build knowledge, skills and best practice in animal care and welfare compliance in the shearing industry, MPI said.
Baker was dismissive of the move.
"You don't need $75,000 to be kind to animals. You really don't."
He said if the government wanted to put its money where its mouth was, it should mandate cameras inside woolsheds and place veterinarians on site.
At the time of the announcement, New Zealand Shearing Contractors Association chief executive Phil Holden said the idea of cameras in sharing sheds was a "...naive response to what's a more complicated issue".
"The reality is we've got nothing to hide. The industry is in a real solid place and this animal welfare initiative is another step on the journey," Holden said.
The SPCA has also backed calls for camera surveillance in shearing sheds.
Chief scientific officer Dr Arnja Dale said at the time that she would be "really disappointed" if the welfare training was the government's only response to the damning exposé.
PETA had claimed that among the 32 sheds investigated, 11 held ZQ accreditation, a New Zealand certification intended to assure ethical wool production.
Zentera Wool Company, developers of the ZQ certification, rejected those claims and said the MPI had made no mention of ZQ-farms in its correspondence with PETA.
Its chief executive Angus Street said it supported the charges that have been laid by the MPI and was supportive of its ongoing investigation.
"'Animal welfare is at the heart of what we do, and we unequivocally condemn the mistreatment of animals. It's incorrect to say that ZQ-certified are the same as the rest. ZQ farms uphold the highest standards for animal welfare in the world. This is highlighted in the recent review of multiple wool standards by animal advocacy group Four Paws," he said.
"'Our commitment to delivering ethically grown wool remains unwavering, and we will continue to hold ourselves accountable and do the best we can to raise the bar for animal welfare across the entire wool industry."
An earlier version of this article included reference to ZQ accreditation, a New Zealand certification intended to assure ethical wool production. This article clarifies the source of those claims and also includes comment from Zentera Wool Company, developers of the ZQ certification.
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