Animal guides

Before you buy any animal

• Start with fewer animals than you think your land can carry. Overstocking is the most common welfare problem on lifestyle blocks, and a paddock that feeds plenty in spring may feed only a fraction as many in winter.
• Plan for company. Sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and chickens are all social and shouldn’t be kept alone.
• Sort out water, shelter, and fences before the animals arrive, and check your council’s rules on the animals you want, especially pigs and roosters in town.
• Find a vet who treats farm animals before you need one. Few practices publish farm visit fees, so ask what a call-out costs.

Rules for every animal owner

• The Animal Welfare Act 1999 makes owners, and anyone in charge of animals, responsible for proper food and water, shelter, the chance to behave normally, careful handling, and protection from injury and disease. MPI’s Codes of Welfare set minimum standards for each species, and failing to meet them can support a prosecution.
• An Animal Status Declaration (ASD) must go with cattle, deer, sheep, goats, and pigs when they move to another property, a saleyard, or a meat processor. It records their treatments, vaccinations, and TB status, and the sender keeps a copy for a year.
• NAIT tagging and registration apply to cattle and deer, including a single pet cow.
• Home kill: an MPI-listed homekill service provider can kill an animal you have cared for daily for at least 28 days. The meat is for your household and can’t be sold, bartered, or traded. MPI consulted on changes to these rules in 2026, so check before booking.
• Report suspected exotic pests and diseases, including unusual sickness or deaths, to MPI on 0800 80 99 66.

Facial eczema

Facial eczema is liver damage from a toxin made by a fungus in pasture leaf litter. There is no cure. Most cases happen from January to May, after warm nights of about 12°C or more and humid weather. Cases have been confirmed from Northland to Tasman and the West Coast, and the risk is spreading south. Sheep, cattle, goats, deer, and alpacas can all be affected, and for every animal with visible signs there may be many more with hidden liver damage.

Watch spore counts through the season, from your vet or by testing your own pasture. Beef + Lamb NZ advises starting zinc, at the correct dose, before counts pass 30,000 spores per gram of pasture, and continuing until the risk has passed.

Plants that poison livestock

Many common New Zealand plants are poisonous to farm animals, including tutu, ngaio, karaka, kōwhai, yew, oleander, rhododendron, foxglove, hemlock, arum lily, and ragwort. Oleander, yew, and rhododendron are very often fatal. Macrocarpa, other cypresses, and pine needles can make pregnant cattle abort, and acorns can cause kidney failure in calves.

Never throw garden prunings over the fence to stock: once dried, some poisonous plants become more palatable. Check paddock edges and shelter belts before animals arrive. Signs such as drooling, diarrhoea, and staggering can take a day or two to appear.