Federated Farmers thinks the Government should be cracking down on child abuse before bringing in more animal welfare rules.

This is after Associate Agriculture Minister Meka Whaitiri proposed a Commissioner for Animal Welfare and a Parliamentary working group on the issue.

Federated Farmers animal welfare spokesman Miles Anderson says we have some of the most strict animal welfare regulations in the world, and we've just rejigged them.

He told Kate Hawkesby it's a knee jerk reaction to a couple of cases in Northland recently.

"Animal welfare commissioner would just be another layer of bureaucracy and another burden on the taxpayer that would achieve not a lot, I would have thought. I just think the money would be better spent elsewhere."

LISTEN TO MILES ANDERSON TALK WITH KATE HAWKESBY ABOVE