A former sharemilker from Waikato in New Zealand found responsible for tail injuries to 84 cows, leading to some tails being amputated, has been placed on home detention for 7 months and banned from being in sole charge of animals for two years.
Mark Donald Richardson (48) was sentenced in the Hamilton District Court yesterday (Tuesday, October 17) on two charges under the Animal Welfare Act that he earlier pleaded guilty to.
The sentence handed down by the court to Richardson followed a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
Sharemilker
Richardson, who was a 50:50 sharemilker, was in sole charge of a herd of about 165 cows at Te Awamutu between November 2015 and February 1, 2020.
He sold the herd and because the new owner noticed lumps in many of the cow’s tails, a veterinarian examined all the cows and found evidence of tail breaks.
“Mr Richardson admitted that he may have broken some tails accidentally, but 84 cows had injuries and would have suffered prolonged and significant pain, along with distress and the loss or damage to a body part.
“When we find evidence of animal neglect or deliberate abuse, we take action,” Richard Knight, MPI acting regional manager, said.
“MPI takes animal welfare very seriously. Most people in charge of animals treat their animals well.
“One of the disturbing aspects in this case was that four of these animals had to have their tails amputated because their injuries were so severe,” he added.
Cattle farmer
In a separate prosecution taken by MPI, a Northland beef cattle farmer was fined NZ$30,000 for failing to provide adequate feed for nearly 400 animals.
Jeffrey Allan Wood (69) pleaded guilty to six charges under the Animal Welfare Act and was sentenced recently in the Whangarei District Court.
MPI animal welfare inspectors found 387 cattle in poor physical health because of a chronic lack of grass, and a lack of supplementary feed.
“Most farmers do the right thing and Mr Wood is an experienced farmer and knew what he needed to do to feed and provide for the welfare of his animals,” Brendon Mikkelsen, MPI acting national manager of animal welfare and NAIT compliance, said.
“These animals were thin and fell well below meeting the standard of the Sheep and Beef Cattle Code of Welfare,” he said.
Complaint
Following a complaint from a veterinarian in July 2020, MPI sent animal welfare inspectors to Wood’s Ruawai farm to inspect 840 of his animals, over a series of visits until October 2020.
Some animals were affected by bad diarrhoea and emaciated.
In one case, when Wood was directed to euthanise a severely lame young bull to mitigate its suffering, MPI found it still had not been done a week later, which the farmer claimed was because he could not find the animal.
“These animals were suffering, and Mr Wood’s delayed action prolonged their suffering.
“He failed to meet the physical, health and behavioural needs of these animals.
“When we find evidence that animal welfare has been neglected, if appropriate – we will place the matter before the court,” Mikkelsen said.
Along with the fine, Wood was also ordered to pay NZ$2,834.80 in veterinarian expenses and NZ$6,057.97 in farmer consultant fees.
