Farmer sentenced for neglect

Rakaia-based calf-rearer Lisa-Jane Claire Miller was sentenced in the Ashburton District Court on five charges under the Animal Welfare Act.

Along with seven months of home detention, she was disqualified from owning or overseeing calves or cattle for five years. The court also ordered Miller to reimburse veterinary costs of $3,975.48 to MPI.

Between August 2020 and October 2020, Miller bought 687 calves to rear at her farm. Welfare problems began early with an outbreak of scours and while Miller did initially seek help gaining antibiotics from a veterinarian, the problems multiplied.

A later MPI investigation found the animals started to die within three weeks of arriving at her farm and by the middle of September, between 15 and 30 calves were dying daily.

MPI told Rural News that Miller had told the veterinarian that the outbreak was only minor and declined an offer from the vet to visit the farm.

In December, MPI received a complaint from a member of the public and sent inspectors and a vet to visit the farm.

"They found more than one hundred dead calves scattered around the farm that had died from starvation, another hundred calves in extremely poor condition because of a lack of food, along with a lack of good grazing and water for the animals," says Mark Sanders, MPI's team leader of south investigations.

Four animals had to be euthanised to end their suffering. To ensure the remaining animals were looked after, the inspector issued a Notice of Direction requiring all remaining calves to be examined by a vet.

An animal health management plan was also produced for Miller and a search warrant for the property was obtained and carried out. The surviving 77 calves have since been sold on.

Sanders said that Miller had not taken the necessary actions to prevent or address the animal's welfare issues.