Friday, 12 April 2024 08:55

Farmers fined for cattle abuse

Written by  Staff Reporters
A Waikato cattle farming family have been fined $23,000 for failing to provide sufficient food and care for their animals. A Waikato cattle farming family have been fined $23,000 for failing to provide sufficient food and care for their animals.

A Waikato cattle farming family have been fined $23,000 for failing to provide sufficient food and care for their animals, resulting in more than half a dozen animal deaths.

Shane Ross Quigley (49), Colin Ross Quigley (75) and Margaret Heather Quigley (72) were sentenced in March on four charges under the Animal Welfare Act in the Morrinsville District Court, following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

Between July and August 2022, animal welfare inspectors and a veterinarian inspected the cattle at the Quigley’s 26-hectare Matamata farm, resulting in charges being laid.

“We found the Quigleys were raising about 158 mixed breed and 21 Limousin cattle, which was above the appropriate stocking rate for the feed available at their farm,” says MPI acting regional manager, animal welfare and NAIT compliance, Bianca Upton.

Upton says most farmers do the right thing for their animals, but the Quigleys were not living up to their welfare obligations and more of these animals were at a high risk of dying from starvation.

During the first visit by MPI, 39 cattle were visually assessed as being emaciated and the Quigleys were issued a legal notice of direction to immediately address these animal welfare issues. A further inspection found a young bull, a Limousin cow and a young heifer were in serious need of veterinary care because of conditions such as worms and emaciation. All three animals were euthanised due to their poor health.

“These animal deaths were preventable if the Quigleys had been meeting their animal welfare responsibilities,” says Upton.

More like this

Farmer input needed to combat FE

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on livestock farmers to take part in a survey measuring the financial impact of facial eczema (FE).

Tough times - Roche

The Ministry for Primary Industries' (MP) head of their On-Farm Support Team, Dr John Roche, says the declaration of a drought or adverse event is a recognition that things are tough in a region such as Taranaki.

SustaiN lands NZ registration

Ballance Agri-Nutrients fertiliser SustaiN – which contains a urease inhibitor that reduces the amount of ammonia released to the air – has now been registered by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI). It is the first fertiliser in New Zealand to achieve this status.

Featured

Dairying deeply rooted in family

On the edge of the hot, dry Takapau plains, Norm and Del Atkins have cultivated a small but exceptional herd of 60 Holstein Friesian cows within their mixed breed herd of 360 dairy cows.

Mixed reaction to hiking levy rate

The DairyNZ board and management are currently trying to determine whether, and to what degree, their farmer levy payers will support any increase in their levy contributions.

Grasslanz scoops top science award

The Government's plan to merge the seven crown institutes presents exciting possibilities for plant technology company Grasslanz Technology, says chief executive Megan Skiffington.

National

Machinery & Products

Alpego eyes electric power harrow

Distributed by OriginAg in New Zealand, Italian manufacturer Alpego recently showed its three metre Alysium electric power harrow at the…

New seed drill tech coming

Incorporating Vaderstad's latest seed drill technology, the Proceed V 24, is said to improve precision and increase planting efficiencies for…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Waffle man

OPINION: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon sometimes can't escape his own corporate instinct for evasion, and in what should have been…

Banks on notice

OPINION: Shane 'Matua' Jones, crusader against all things woke, including "woke banks", couldn't have scripted it better when his NZ…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter