Crazy
OPINION: Your canine crusader was truly impressed by the almost unanimous support given by politicians of all stripes in Parliament to the recent passing of legislation for the NZ/EU free trade deal.
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.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand has no intention of backing down in a trade dispute with Canada over dairy products.
There have been leadership changes at the Hamilton-based Dairy Goat Co-operative, which has been struggling financially in recent years.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
OPINION: In recent years farmers have been crying foul of unworkable and expensive regulations.
Another 16 commercial beef farmers have been selected to take part in the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme designed to help drive the uptake of genetics in the industry.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Kiwi exporters will be $100 million better off today as the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into force.