He vividly recalls his only contact with the city was when the Police launch would collect him on a Tuesday morning to take him to buy weekly supplies, and perhaps 'allow' him to see a movie before returning to the island. Then in 1960 he moved to the Department's Papakura office as an Inspector, and began contributing articles on animal husbandry and welfare to the Journal of Agriculture. It was that same year that his passion for animal welfare began in earnest, with the passage of the Animals Protection Act. Standards have improved out of sight. Ross says MAF has been fortunate to have people in senior positions to promote animal welfare as a key component of sustainable agriculture.
Good welfare has everything to do with farming for profit.
In 1969 Ross became the first Supervising Officer for the South Auckland District and held that role in its various guises for the next 20 years - through the important periods of Tb and Brucellosis eradication schemes. In 1987 he was appointed to the Ministry's Animal Welfare Group, and in 1988 became the National Service Manager for Animal Welfare - a post he held for the next ten years. In this role, Ross has been a MAF spokesperson on animal welfare issues, putting him frequently in the media and public spotlight. Some of the highlights of this period of his career include deputising as the National Director of Agricultural Security in 1996, and having some input into the Animal Welfare Act which became law on the st January this year. Ross Burnell says there are still some animal welfare issues that concern him including a lack of shelter and shade for our livestock, practices such as tail docking and the induction of dairy cows, the bobby calf trade and concerns relating to the transport and nutrition of animals.