Kathmandu founder gives $2m to fight factory farming

The founder of outdoor clothing and equipment chain Kathmandu has given $2 million to help fight factory farming with some of the money being offered to workers to rat on their bosses.

The Animal Justice Fund (AJF) was launched by the animal rights group Save Animals From Exploitation (Safe) today after Kathmandu founder and philanthropist Jan Cameron gave $2 million to the fund.

Australian-born Ms Cameron, who founded Kathmandu in 1987, is a prominent supporter of animal welfare having previously given $A5m ($NZ6.4m) to set up a similar fund in Australia.

Safe director Hans Kriek said the fund meant the organisation could prosecute farmers who committed offences against animals.

"Ms Cameron is a passionate supporter of Safe's factory farming campaigns and has, over the last four years, donated more than $A35m to various human and animal-related causes in Australia and New Zealand," Ms Kriek said.

The fund would act as a national watchdog for factory pig, chicken and battery hen farms and would also help fund promotional campaigns, he said.

Rewards of up to $30,000 would be offered to farm workers or insiders and other industry insiders who exposed animal cruelty that led to a successful prosecution or a significant animal welfare outcome.

"Safe may even challenge, in the High Court, welfare codes that allow ongoing abuse of animals," he said.

Safe has been a strong critic of factory farming in New Zealand and made the headlines last year when Mike King, a former spokesman for the pork industry, spoke out against the factory farming of pigs.

Ms Cameron reportedly received $A280m when she sold Kathmandu in 2006.

The announcement of the fund comes after New Zealand Pork said on Friday that 115 out of 123 pig farms had passed an independent welfare audit.

Farms which passed the audit can label their meat as "100 percent New Zealand Pork, PigCare Accredited" from December.

By purchasing pork with the PigCare Accreditation, customers could be assured the animals were well cared for, New Zealand Pork chief executive Sam McIvor said.