Tjeerd Visser was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court in September after pleading guilty in August last year to failing to meet the physical health needs of the dairy cattle on his farm under sections 10, 12 and 25 of the Animal Welfare Act 1999.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigators visited the farm and found a dairy herd in very poor condition, with little or no feed available for the animals. They discovered 60 cattle dead or dying in a very swampy part of the farm. None of those animals was able to be saved. Of the total herd of 1300 cattle, 65 needed to be euthanised but most of the rest were saved by providing extra feed and destocking the farm.
The court heard that the factors leading to the offending included overstocking the farm, poor farm infrastructure, including a lack of reticulated water and boggy grazing areas around natural water supplies, leading to the cows becoming trapped, failure to appreciate the significant extra food requirements of pregnant cows, poor farm management and financial constraints.
Visser had cooperated throughout the investigation, left the farm and undertaken training so that he had improved skills and knowledge.
MPI regional compliance manager John Slaughter said it was a pity that Visser hadn’t been equipped to deal with the developing disaster.
“The main lesson to be learnt from this regrettable incident is that when farmers are faced with developing crises and feel isolated, they need to seek external assistance through industry groups or by contacting MPI Animal Welfare staff.”
Another case, also in September, saw vets and animals welfare investigators called to a West Coast farm following concern about neglected dairy cows. They were supported by Federated Farmers whose West Coast president, Katie Milne, said the focus was always the welfare of affected stock.
“The critical message we need to get out is, whatever happens financially, you are a farmer first. This is not the 1960s so be open to your family, your friends and your bank. Above all, be honest to yourself. Failing at a business does not mean you have failed as a farmer, but failing your stock does.”
There was no way anyone could condone the maltreatment of livestock. Aside from an obvious and significant destruction of commercial value, it was ethically unacceptable.
Westland Milk Products chair Matt O’Regan said while it was helping with the welfare of the remaining animals and it ceased milk collection from the farm until it was advised by the MPI that animal welfare had been restored and could be maintained.
Meanwhile the MPI is to appeal the sentence of a Waikina farm manager found guilty of wilfully ill-treating dairy cows (Dairy Exporter, November, page 92).
