This is a summary of what's happening at the Facebook group We Don't Want Cow Cubicles in New Zealand, with additional resources and suggestions for action.
Factory farming in New Zealand is still a real possibility despite the fact that most of us don't want it. We don't want cows in sheds 24/7 for 8 months of the year, and we don't want them in our iconic landscapes.
Three companies are proposing new factory farms in the iconic MacKenzie Basin. The proposals generated thousands of submissions opposing them and heaps of media coverage but the companies are fighting back and it looks our politicians aren't doing much about it.
Now is not the time to sit back and put your feet up. So what more can you do?
The best thing you can do right now is send an email to the Prime Minister's office and get all of your friends to do the same. If you have already done this then do it again! There is some urgency - the politicians are considering the issue right now!
The address is john.key@parliament.govt.nz.
State that this email is for the Prime Minister and is not to be redirected to another Minister.
cc. the Minister's of Agriculture and Environment. david.carter@parliament.govt.nz, and nick.smith@parliament.govt.nz.
In your email:
SpeakupNZ has a thread and poll on this topic. Register and vote.
If you know of any relevant research or data that could be posted in our scientific research page, please post a message in this discussion thread. Material that supports either side of the argument will be considered (in order to present a robust argument we need to assess both sides fairly).
It has been suggested that we organise a petition. For a simple online option I suggest going to the SpeakUpNZ link above, but if anyone wants to organise a real-world hard-copy petition as well, we'll be happy to help promote it.
As I understand it, we can't directly petition the government about the current resource consents because they are handled by Environment Canterbury (see above). If we petition the government it would have to be a more general plea to legislate against factory farming. I'm not sure exactly how that might work. Remember that some covered shelter may be perfectly acceptable so it probably doesn't make sense to outlaw cubicles per se. Maybe a maximum head of cattle per hectare?
To raise awareness we're advertising the group using Facebook's ads, which obviously costs money. Click the Donate button to help. You'll be paying money to "Wavelength Media" for the item "No Factory Farming in NZ". Thanks!
This is an emotive topic and feelings are running high. We've got all sorts of people in the group, from vegans to carnivorous hedonists. I implore everyone to show some respect in the discussions and accept that others have different points of view.
I'm a strong believer that you won't win any converts by being aggressive. I have no problem with trying to push your ideology but a little bit of pragmatism goes a long way. A measured approach is more likely to be effective than ranting and insulting.
Thanks again everyone for joining the group and engaging in a lively discussion. Let's not forget that we all want a better world. That's what it's really about.
Cheers,
Dave