Hide queries business links of animal welfare officials

Rodney Hide

Act MP Rodney Hide is raising questions about a business relationship between the country's two top animal welfare officials.

The questions relate to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's head of animal welfare, Dr David Bayvel, setting up a business with Professor David Mellor, chairman of the Government's animal welfare advisory committee.

The third director of the company, International Animal Welfare Consultants Ltd, registered in January last year, is ex-Pork Industry Board chief executive Brian Milne.

Dr Bayvel is MAF's representative on the independent National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), chaired by Professor Mellor, who works at Massey University in Auckland, which is charged with advising the Government on animal welfare issues such as battery hens and sow stalls.

The independence of the committee is seen as crucial because animal welfare groups have been critical of NAWAC almost since its inception under the new Animal Welfare Act was passed in 1999.

The committee, made up of appointees from the RSPCA, universities and Federated Farmers, has been accused of being too conservative on animal welfare issues by groups such as Save Animals from Exploitation, and also by Green Party MP Sue Kedgley.

Mr Hide put written questions to Associate Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor on whether the two men's business relationship was a conflict of interest.

Mr Hide also asked how much personal business the two carried out during attendance at an international conference when their travel was partly funded by the taxpayer.

Mr Hide said he was surprised Mr O'Connor had only replied that he was "unable to answer this question at this time" even though the eight-day deadline for reply had passed.

"I can only assume he's undertaking an investigation of his own," Mr Hide said.

A spokesperson for the minister was unable to say when Mr Hide could expect a reply.

Neither Dr Bayvel nor Professor Mellor could be contacted yesterday but Mr Milne said there was no conflict of interest in the men's business relationship and both had made their activities known to their employers.

"As a director of the company I have asked both if they had any conflict of interest and they assured me they hadn't and I take them on their word for that," he said.

SAFE spokesman Hans Kriek said the group was interested in Mr O'Connor's replies. But there was "no reason to believe there's anything untoward", he said.