Thursday, March 28, 2024

More animal welfare charges

Neal Wallace
A third person faces charges over animal welfare breaches as the fallout continues from secretively filmed footage of mishandling of bobby calves shot in 2015 by a radical animal welfare group.
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The Ministry for Primary Industries has filed charges against a 65-year-old Pukekohe man for allegedly ill-treating calves in 2015 by dragging them by single limbs.

The November 2015 undercover sting by vegan advocacy group Farmwatch had already resulted in one man being jailed while another court case, involving Down Cow director Alan Cleaver, was still before the courts.

He faced two charges under the Animal Welfare Act of failing to meet the calves’ physical health and behavioral needs by using and allowing the use of blunt force trauma.

The charges carried a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison and/or a $50,000 fine.

Down Cow faced the same two charges under the Animal Products Act, which carried a maximum fine of $50,000.

MPI said the charges against the 65-year-old man occurred in August 2015 while he was employed “in a role that included transporting bobby calves around the Waikato to pet food processing factory, Down Cow”.

He was to appear in the Huntly District Court next month.

Down Cow, which was based in Te Kauwhata, closed in May last year.

Noel Erickson, who worked as a slaughterman at Down Cow, pleaded guilty last year to 10 charges of abusing 115 calves and was initially sentenced to 10 months’ home detention.

That sentence was appealed against by MPI and he was sentenced to two years jail.

MPI also filed charges against a Waitoa dairy farmer after allegations he transported a cow in July 2015 that was suspended from a hip clamp.

The 35-year-old was to appear in the Morrinsville District Court next month.

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