Bikinis in cowshed
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.
A Taranaki dairy farmer has been fined $40,000 and put under two years supervision for breaking the tails of 136 cows and docking the tails of 26 cows.
Lane Rodney Wiggins, 53, had earlier pleaded guilty to two charges under the Animal Welfare Act following a prosecution taken by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
He was sentenced in the Hawera District Court on 15 December.
On the first charge, relating to breaking the cows’ tails, Wiggins was fined $35,000.
On the second charge, relating to docking the cows’ tails, he was fined $5,000.
The Court also ordered that he be placed under intensive supervision for two years. This condition means Wiggins will have an immediate inspection of his herd done by a professional nominated by MPI. He will then be required to have follow-up inspections every six months, at his own cost.
MPI animal welfare regional manager Joanna Tuckwell says while farming can be stressful, there’s no excuse for the behaviour that led to these injuries, which are consistent with excessive force and incorrect technique being applied during handling.
“Even though farmers will sometimes use a cow’s tail to steer the animal where it needs to go, best practice is not to lift or twist tails. It takes excessive force to break a cow’s tail.
“The cows that Mr Wiggins deliberately ill-treated would have been in considerable pain. This action was simply cruel and unnecessary,” she said.
The court heard that in June 2018, MPI launched an investigation into tail breaks and tail docking at Wiggins’s farm.
Two MPI animal welfare inspectors and a veterinarian inspected the tails of 195 cows.
The inspection found that 136 of 195 cows in the herd had broken tails. Of those, 111 of these tails had multiple breaks – between 2 and 6 per tail.
130 of the 136 cows’ tails were assessed as having breaks in the mid or high sections of their tails. This section is the thicker part of the tail and would have required considerable force to cause a break.
Wiggins’ explanation for the tail breaks was that he was under time pressure and that he had bent the tails while pushing the cows into the milking shed.
Tuckwell says that MPI takes their role as the regulator for animal welfare compliance very seriously.
“Where we have clear evidence of offending of this nature, we’ll take prosecution action.
“Our advice to all people in charge of animals who may be having personal challenges on the farm is to seek help before it comes to this.”
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.
Balclutha farmer Renae Martin remembers the moment she fell in love with cows.
Academic freedom is a privilege and it's put at risk when people abuse it.
All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.
Claims that some Southland farmers were invoiced up to $4000 for winter grazing compliance checks despite not breaching rules are being rejected by Environment Southland.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
OPINION: The war of words between Southland farmers and Environment Southland over winter grazing inspections reflects a deep lack of trust…
OPINION: Milking It understands a formal disciplinary process is being conducted by Victoria University of Wellington on what one of…