Import rules a pig's ear
Pig farmers say the idea that not every pork product sold in New Zealand has to be produced to this country’s own welfare standards is unfair.
A Waikato farmer who admitted to breaking the tails of more than 300 cows has been sentenced to community work and banned from owning cows.
Glen Raymond Steiner appeared in the Tokoroa District Court on Wednesday for sentencing after the case was brought to court by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Steiner has been disqualified from owning or being in charge of all bovine animals. He earlier pleaded guilty to one representative charge of ill treatment of animals.
Judge Tony Snell took a starting point of six months' imprisonment and gave discounts for it being Steiner's first conviction, as well as his personal circumstances and early guilty plea.
The 43-year-old contract milker was sentenced to four months' community detention and 120 hours' community work in addition to being disqualified from owning or being in charge of any bovine animal for three years.
He was ordered to pay vet bills of $954.
Judge Snell commented that Steiner's actions were in the upper limit of this type of offence and that the type of offending and its effect on the industry was significant.
It could easily cause reputation harm to the dairy industry and the individual farming operation involved, he said.
MPI animal welfare and NAIT compliance manager Gray Harrison said the offending first came to light after a mob of dairy cull cows he sent to the meat works were found to have tail breaks.
“A MPI veterinarian reported the tail breaks, which led us to inspect the remainder of the herd at the dairy farm where Steiner worked.”
Of the 313 cows that Steiner physically handled, the majority were found to have been handled in a way that caused tail breaks.
More than 150 cows were found to have multiple breakages in their tails and 133 were determined to be recent breakages.
In the agreed Summary of Facts, Steiner’s actions were deemed to have caused “unreasonable and unnecessary” pain and distress to the cows in his care.
As a contract milker, it was his responsibility to ensure all animals on the property were handled in a way that minimised pain, distress and injury; including tail breakages.
Scientific research indicates it would require significantly more force to break a tail than dislocate a finger and the breaking of a tail or twisting would cause immediate, severe pain and distress.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Two major red meat sector projects are getting up to a combined $1.7 million in funding from the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
Angus Barr and Tara Dwyer of The Wandle, Lone Star Farms in Strath Taieri have been named the Regional Supreme Winners at the Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards in Dunedin.
OPINION: The distress that the politicians and bureaucrats are causing to the people of Wairoa and the wider Tairāwhiti is unforgivable.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.