In the Christchurch District Court on February 19 he was also sentenced to 300 hours of community work, and ordered to pay reparation of $233 to cover veterinary costs.
Canterbury/Westland District compliance manager, Peter Hyde, said a veterinarian had discovered that 230 – or 46% – of the 500 cows in the herd which Jackson worked with had injured or broken tails. The animals suffered fractured or dislocated tail bones or soft tissue damage to their tails as a result of twisting or lifting of the tail.
“This is the largest percentage of animals in a single herd we have seen that have been deliberately physically injured.”
The damage to the tails occurred between October and December 2010 with the farm owner being alerted to the situation by another farm worker. Jackson was suspended from his duties under suspicion of serious misconduct because of mistreating stock and was advised that a disciplinary hearing would take place. He abandoned his position at the farm without notice.
Hyde said such behaviour would not be tolerated and the court had made that clear.
