NZ's biggest dairy farm allows calves to starve to death

[pelorus2008]

Hickey,you are such a tosser.

[FrancoFerrua]

This is sick. All of you sadist bastards go to hell.

[oliver69cork]

The world should`nt deal with new zealand dairy produce until you get your act together,we in the EU have good welfare and enviromental standards-this is savagery not farming but the farmer will suffer yet for this i hope.I`m ashamed to be a dairy with evil doing like this going on.

[Reseke01]

@oliver69cork All NZ farmers think the same as us.. They can´t be blamed for the mistake one Idiot makes.

[slycef]

haha do you know what is funny. Majority of you people here all say things like "let the bastard starve" and "kill the cunt!". isnt killing a human worse than an animal? you are trying to solve problems by violence haha u make me sick.

[cartyfiona]

Not sure what this has to do with the banks choices at the end of the day banks deal with money not cows. Also I feed calves and work in a dairy every day and I take pride in my work and find that good healthy calves will feed then turn to their mate and look for more so maybe not a good example on that one. Also the calves here do not look like a good example of calf care but FFS get some knowledge and get on a farm before you try the propaganda road you might get more people to see your point

[nzer100]

This is a poor representaion of the majority of farmers. Also this reporter has very limited agricultural knowledge. You can't simply shut down a farm, even healthy calves try to drink off each other (and the people feeding them!) fonterra should be kept well out of it, MAF should have taken a stronger stance this was a poor managment issue. Large farms are more efficient and it is disappointing to see this one run poorly.

[kitkat6319]

obviously a rookie farmer. don't let this video represent the nz dairy industry. the majority of nz dairy farmers are top operators who care about their animals. and calves always bunt other calves even if they are hungry or not. this video blows a lot of things out of proportion.

[fakir0005]

Why do not you have tour wife breastfeed the calves. You obviously are a began. You are giving a big lecture. Obviously you have not been inside any farm. Let me tell you every cow owner buys a cow to milk her whether you like it or not. Cows have been milked for v=centuries and will continue to be milked until the end of times.

[Gamed92]

@polarboi wat does male cow called?

[fast1rac]

Thats not the way to treat animals, the calves should of been shot at birth than die like that.

[CheyBaybee]

All of those calves should be confiscated; those poor babies ):

[CheyBaybee]

@polarboi Just because they have no value doesn't mean they should starve to death. They can be sold.

[mandtconstruct]

@polarboi SURE THEY DO

[dale3858]

What in hell has happened to humanity?

[moneyrac]

please visit peta.org make a difference this is barbaric this is an inhumane case no animal deserves this

[moneyrac]

please visit peta.org make a difference this is barbaric

[Fatbaldslob]

Crafar is a greedy lying bastard NZ Dairy farming wil lbe a lot better of when those arsehole crafars are removed from farming The sooner the better

[MrFencerguy]

Wow muicalhitchhiker are you full of lies. I personally know the situation at the Benneydale farm, and those that own and run the farm should never be allowed to farm again. It was the most atrocious situation of abuse I had ever seen. So glad someone reported it.

[cyot75]

Put cameras in the farms so people can watch online before they decide to eat unhappy meat!!!!!!!

[cdougie1]

wow lets see your dumb ass run a farm

[npk007]

wow this guy has no idea.... seriously there new born calves you bip... wow

[TBhorsegirl]

This news reporter needs to be fired because clearly he's an idiot and knows nothing about cattle and dairy farming

[muicalhitchhiker]

continued.....This is a good demonstration of how one sided the media coverage of some(or most) events are and why you shouldn't believe everything the media tells you.

[muicalhitchhiker]

continued...Unfortunately for them they had already made a big stink about it so couldn't go back on their word, instead they decided to investigate the rest of Allan Crafar's farms to try and find a problem. During the course of this investigation they did indeed find sick cows, 50 in total out of over 20,000 which adds up to 1 cow per 400 cows or 0.25% of the total herd numbers. This figure is better than most farms in NZ. .......

[muicalhitchhiker]

The video taken of these calves was filmed by a woman who was stealing milk from this farm. When she was caught and stopped she sneaked back onto the farm and poisoned the calves then returned several days later and filmed this video and posted it on the internet. Many questions have been asked over why the Crafar's weren't prosecuted for these calves. The reason is because when the calves were tested by MAF they discovered the poisoning and the truth became apparent.

[CDLver]

@muicalhitchhiker, every time one of you perverts gets caught with one of your hands on your penis and the other hand around a calf's neck, you sickos claim that the video was staged. Your defense of these despicable acts is disgusting! Do not think for one moment that critical viewers believe your pathetic bullshit.

[drahm33]

All calves will suck on each other to try and get milk. It isn't easy raising calves and they will die. This video is misleading and this scumbag talking should be castrated so Know one as stupid as him is allowed to talk ever again.

[strandbunnyx]

this is murder!

put this guy in the same situation as the calves were and let him starve to death too! this is a shame for humanity.

[82supergiovane]

Please, tell me why a breeder leave his calves in this orrible situation,moreover this is also an economic loss, because that calves in the future will be cows! I just kill the breeder!

[JGB72ISH]

and they say new zealand dairying is the best in the world.fuck that,these people should never be allowed to keep animals

[SeekingSqueak]

New Zealanders were shocked and appalled at this. This Farm went was prosecuted went bankrupt and they do longer operate.

They were never taught to suckle so they starved. Disgusting.

In NZ we have increased the penalty for animal abuse to 4 years in jail.

Exposing things like this helps to educate.

[cookiesone]

nice hair cut

[MrFencerguy]

Well done to those who exposed this. Time some dairy farmers pulled up their socks and looked after their stock better.

[roxypritchard]

cntd... Public speaking is something that needs to be practiced and flowing, not 'choppy' and broken in speech pattern.

I admire your resolve, but please, please, please - before selecting 'post' next time - make sure you final product is up-to-scratch for public viewing. Otherwise you may find yourself laughed at in your own professional circle.

Better luck next time, I will be looking forward to some better results.

Regards,

Roxy.

[roxypritchard]

cntd... Much of your amateur footage is very vague and frankly does not give much weight to your argument. If you are going to attempt to display something disturbing, you need to show AT LEAST suggestive proof. (Slander vs reporting.) I am not disputing the farm in questions ethics or practices; I am well aware of their horrendous reputation in farming circles. But as far as your reporting goes, for the sake of completeness AND your professional reputation, please consider your approach.

[roxypritchard]

cntd from previous... I wonder, Mr Hickey, do you happen to know anything about farming? Have you ever personally worked on a farm or lived on one? Have you ever traded you polished shoes for gumboots and treaded the other path? From watching your video I would argue that you haven't. Statistics are fact. Opinions are offensive. If you plan to make a career out of being a reporter, I suggest you learn the difference. ...

[roxypritchard]

I agree with what you might be trying to achieve, which I can only assume is public awareness. But polish your presentation before submitting it to the internet please.

You generalize that family-farming evolving into corporate-farming is something that should be shunned. I would like to disagree. I think you are making a statement of opinion, and it is not a fact. I know many families who successfully run large farms and continue to care for the animals with the highest level of humanity.

[roxypritchard]

I agree with the general opinion that animals SHOULD NOT be mistreated, and that cows and calves alike should be considered more than a number on the accountants worksheet to a farmer. However -

I think that the presentation of this video is poor and unprofessional. Professionalism with media presentation is more than donning a suit and calling yourself a reporter. I feel that you're statistics were lacking depth, and you're story lacking background.

Cntd...

[aklasshomegurl]

i rear calves and i love it so much but seeing this video i cant believe it thatz soo mean it makes me cry just watching the video poor things they should all just go to jail

my boyfriend used to work on a craffer farm but his boss got the sack becoz allen wouldnt come and help him on the farm until they really needed it by that time it was too late the farm had no grass cowz were skinny and they still didnt come until cows were almost dyin grow up you bastards

[moarichicksta]

i rear calves and this makes me so sad i almost want to cry so sad man i cant believe it let those bastards die slowly

[paxkom]

Fucking assholes.. Stick em in prison with the filthy pig farmers and let them rot.

[boaraxa]

id like 2 ad what your looking at is wrong and on this scale should never happen however thers always 1or2 that seem to go out of ther way 2 die this can happen withn days not weeks iv also notced a lot of public out cry i think the reason 4 this is because thers a lot more "townys" out ther that no nuthing about life on the farm infact to a degree farming is almost 3rd world im mean the popualition is growing but who wants to do the work no1.maybe sum of u out ther should pull up ya sleevs...

[boyracersarelosers]

maybe you should learn how to write in proper English

[boaraxa]

what part did u not understand?

[beaelliott]

Perhaps some people would see it "kinder" to just slaughter the calves sooner than the slow agonizing death of starvation... Then others think even that is cruel & certainly is unnnecessary. After all, we don't "need" cows milk to thrive - In fact, dairy isn't good for us at all. The best solution to all this horrible abuse to nonhumans is to go VEGAN! :)

[ronsylva]

How can these people do such cruel and evil things to the helpless animals. How do they sleep at night. Lock them up!!!

[karengray1234]

Farmer/owners responsiblility? Bullet.

[madalene2012]

Adding something to Grantallen100, dont forget also the horror of the sheep going to UK by big ship, sturving and ill, have often to come back because the byer dont like them.I recon also the trucks taking to abbatoir animals ( not for me, beig vegetarian )are containers without space or enough air. Never seen like in NZ so little gap to breath. I think its an other obsure way to manage the meat industry!

Im often concerned to watch close people with family abbatoir to see what I cant handle2C!

[slycef]

@madalene2012 fuck off ya townie cunt. its a handful of farmers ruining it for the rest of us.

[madalene2012]

@slycef ,shame on you, you are ruining yourself with your own bad vibresas a clearly VIOLENT person I wouldnt trust a little bit to be near! Poor innocent animals in hands like this aggressive one, makes me scared and..concern for the nice people who dont need to react like gang-boys!

[madalene2012]

NZ its a beautiful country, not saying that in other countries there are not similar issues, but what Iv heard since Iv lived in NZ are horrible news and Iv seen with my eyes the cruelty , unscrupolously of lots of farmers. Its schocking such derespect and no consideration for the animal life! This is the down side of NZ, Im afraid, beside the cruel pest-control. It seems that here killing , like the old far west, is still the easier way to "resolve" problems, rather than see the Big Picture!

[1080Toxic]

I'd like to know how this business - up to it's ears in debt - is still allowed to operate. I guess those banks are safeguarding their 'toxic' debts until the business is sold

[petesime]

I'm switching to organic milk

[kokopu14]

Old man Crafar cares only about money. Crafer Farms have the worst record in New Zealand for their polution of our environment and now this! Fonterra should have stopped buying milk from these low lifes years ago.

[Shamiranz]

Those disgusting cunts need a bullet to the head. Actually, that is far to kind...they need to be made to suffer the same way those poor innocent calves did. I was horrified, disgusted and in tears watching that...and I couldn't even watch more than the first couple of minutes.

I raise calves for a local farmer, and have done for the past 7yrs.

[grantallen100]

There is a huge gap in public knowlege as to what happens to animals to get them from the farm to our plates.The recent "pig farming scandel" also highlighted that such cruelty is acceptable within the law as it stands.There needs to be a huge overall existing NZ animal law and the Minister should make this a priority.His response to the pig farming incident was to claim ignorance! The SPCA meets regularly with MAF and the ministry to bring changes to these laws. Response is regretably slow.

[Secretlyanothername]

Unfortunately, animal abuse is widespread in New Zealand agriculture, and MAF and the SPCA both ignore it - unless they are forced to act.

The life of the average farm animal in NZ involves much needless suffering. Until things change I'd advise avoiding NZ dairy, eggs, and meat.