Police are still hunting the "psychopaths" involved in a barbarous attack on herd of cattle near Gisborne. They believe knives and an axe were used to slash at one animal and chop off the hindquarters of another in a paddock at Muriwai Beach Road on Saturday night. The mutilated animals had to be put down.

Another cow was found wandering in the Muriwai village, 25km south of Gisborne, the next day, bleeding heavily and highly stressed

Facts

* When dairy cows give birth to male calves, the calves are often sold to veal factory farms where they are unable to turn around or stretch their limbs, or they are slaughtered for "bob veal" within a week of being born.

* Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine and Michigan have passed laws phasing out the use of restrictive veal crate confinement systems, but still allow transport and slaughter of calves at any age.

* The agriculture industry trade publication Feedstuffs editorialized in September about a series of investigations conducted by animal organizations: "It's important to understand that companies and producers can't just say 'bad apple' and move on because—to consumers who have seen these videos again and again—there are no bad apples anymore. The bad apple, to consumers now, is the industry."