23 December 2019
LGOIMA No. 8140006011
(Please quote this in any correspondence)
Harrison
By Email:
[FYI request #11721 email]
Dear Harrison
Local Government Official Information And Meetings Act 1987
Records of al cattle owned by Auckland Council
I refer to your request which we received on 24 November 2019, regarding records of all
cattle owned by Auckland Council. Our response to your questions is as follows:
In response to your request, I consulted with the council’s Community Facilities department
and the Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority (Maunga Authority) to provide
relevant information.
The Maunga Authority confirmed that they do not have any cattle owned by Auckland
Council on any maunga.
NAIT records of all cattle alive/dead/exported/missing held and/or owned by Auckland
Council, i.e. at regional parks, mountains, etc.
Please refer to the
attached NAIT records of cattle on council-owned parks.
In the case of the council not owning cattle on council-owned land, the
agreements/contracts in place
Please refer to the
attached lease/licence agreements for cattle grazing on council-owned
lands.
Please note the Long Bay Regional Park Licence has been included in the list of
agreements. The licence expired in July 2019 and the grazier has since ceased grazing the
land.
Information relating to the licence fees and licence fee reviews in the lease/licence
agreements have been redacted under the following sections of the Local Government
Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA):
- Section 7(2)(b)(i) where making the information available would likely unreasonably
prejudice the commercial position of the person who is the subject of the information;
and
- Section 7(2)(h) to enable the council holding the information to carry out, without
prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities.
Private Bag 92300, Auckland 1142 |
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |
Ph 09 301 0101
Information about the ‘High performance Hereford breeding program’ being deployed
to replace the ‘historical 100% trading system’ and what is this?
The 100% trading system is where cattle is purchased to fatten up and sell. Council is now
moving towards both breeding and finishing cattle.
The Auckland Council farming business in the Community Facilities department has moved
away from purchasing all cattle towards having a Hereford breeding cow herd.
This provides council with calves which we then grow on council parks that we farm on.
This allows us to better manage any biosecurity risks, such as Mycoplasma Bovis, while
providing a lighter stock class that is wintered on some of our heavy soils.
The aim is to have the beef calves primed for sale at 18-20 months of age before their
second winter.
Council has been purchasing high-quality bulls for these cows. We are focusing on
the
Hereford Prime Index. The index estimates the genetic differences between animals in
net profitability per cow.
What will happen to the current herds?
The current stock on hand is being replaced as they are sold. Stock are sold to meat
companies.
Any policies/rules relating to cattle (i.e. safety, when to sell them, etc.)
Council has several rules relating to cattle. They come from t
he Animal Welfare Act and the
widely accepted “five freedoms of animal welfare under human control:
1. freedom from hunger and thirst - by ready access to fresh water and diet to maintain
health and vigour.
2. freedom from discomfort - providing an appropriate environment including shelter and
a comfortable resting area.
3. freedom from pain, injury or disease.
4. freedom to express normal behaviour.
5. freedom from fear and distress.
Other rules come under council’s management of Kauri Dieback (KDB). Council has parks
classified from Green (confirmed clear of KDB), Amber (unconfirmed), and Red (confirmed
KDB infected). Council can move stock in the direction on Green to Amber to Red but not
the other way, this is to avoid the movement of soil on the cattle’s feet.
The decision to sell stock is based on several factors:
• feed supply;
• environmental concerns - livestock weight and how wet our soils are;
• markets - beef schedules;
• cattle size and weight;
• alternative stocking options - for example, are we better to carry lambs instead;
• parasite management.
Due to the size of the attachments, the information can be accessed by using the below
OneDrive link
Private Bag 92300, Auckland 1142 |
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |
Ph 09 301 0101
https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ar3AEgw1mNLnzAxM4k3kvJz-DwB2?e=jfeA7d
Please note the link expires after 30 days. We recommend you save the information to your
personal computer.
Should you believe Auckland Council has not responded appropriately to your request you
have the right to seek a review of the decision from the Ombudsman.
I hope you find this information useful. If you have any further queries please contact me on
09 301 0101, quoting LGOIMA No. 8140006011.
Yours sincerely
Jenny Hua
Privacy & LGOIMA Business Partner
Democracy Services
Private Bag 92300, Auckland 1142 |
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |
Ph 09 301 0101