New Zealand: Minister Andrew Hoggard moves on animal welfare codes

The coalition government is to reform the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee. Both ACT and NZ First negotiated reform of the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee’s (NAWAC) functions, membership and mandate as part of the government’s coalition agreement, a point made by Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard in his letter of expectation to the committee chair, Dr Matthew Stone. The reform process, intended to ensure the committee is still relevant, is not yet completed, he writes. Hoggard directs NAWAC to reprioritise the order of its reviews, consider the practicality and the economic impact of its decisions on the relevant sectors, and says he expects the committee to meaningfully engage with those who will be affected by any changes. Hoggard acknowledges the importance of NAWAC’s role and that New Zealand continues to rank highly for animal standards. However, in addition to considering good practice, scientific knowledge and technology in proposed changes ...