Tuesday, 04 February 2020 08:31

MP’s son admits charges

Written by Staff Reporters

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National’s Taranaki-King Country MP Barbara Kuriger.

Tony Kuriger, the son of National’s Taranaki-King Country MP Barbara Kuriger has pleaded guilty to eleven charges of ill-treating cows in a dairy herd he was responsible for.

His guilty plea came just two days into his trial last week at the Palmerston North District court: it was alleged that Kuriger caused animals prolonged and severe pain.

The offences were said to have taken place on a farm that Tony and his father Louis Kuriger were involved in running in 2016-17. When Tony pleaded guilty, the charges against his father were dropped.

Veterinarians told the court that cows on the property that the Kuriger farmed near Eketahuna in the Tararua District were subjected to prolonged suffering due to chronic foot problems and weren’t properly treated. In total 74 cows were treated for lameness and 25 were euthanised.

The Kurigers claimed they did all they could to stop the suffering. Kuriger and Oxbow Dairies will be sentenced at the end of April.

His mother and MP Barbara Kuriger has been involved in a dairy industry for many years and is a former director of DairyNZ. She was named Dairy Woman of the Year in 2012.

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