Animal rights group PETA have accused a sheep farming operation at Matt Lauer’s New Zealand property of abusing animals during shearing, allegations the disgraced NBC host says he’s investigating.
PETA released undercover video showing sheep allegedly being hit and injured at Hunter Valley Farming, which operates on Lauer’s 16,000-acre property purchased for $9.2 million in 2017.
“Matt Lauer’s New Zealand getaway is hell for scared sheep who are flung about, pinned down and cut up,” PETA president Ingrid Newkirk told The New York Post. “PETA wants Lauer to wash his hands of the bloody wool business.”
A spokesperson said Lauer had “absolutely no knowledge of any alleged problems at his property” until contacted for comment.
“(Lauer) was deeply disturbed and saddened to hear of what allegedly has happened, and immediately launched his own investigation of his tenant’s operations.”
The farm’s operators, Digby and Hannah Cochrane, defended their practices.
“At shearing time we employ independent shearing contractors, to shear the sheep, who work in accordance with New Zealand industry accepted guidelines and practices,” the sheep farmers said.
PETA said their investigation covered 11 farms in the Asia-Pacific wool industry.
The organization did not contact Lauer before releasing its findings, saying public exposure “makes it impossible for them to ignore the cruelty they have the power to stop.”