Friday, 12 February 2021 11:25

Canterbury farmer sentenced for reckless ill-treatment of calf

Written by  Staff Reporters
A farmer has been fined $3,500 after he was found to have mistreated a calf. A farmer has been fined $3,500 after he was found to have mistreated a calf.

A Rolleston pig and cattle farmer has been fined $3,500 for failing to euthanise an extremely emaciated calf, with body sores and hundreds of maggots in its mouth.

John William McFall, 55, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court yesterday on one animal welfare charge. He incurred fees of $581.50 for veterinary costs and $130 for court costs.

Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) national manager animal welfare & NAIT compliance Gray Harrison says people have a responsibility to prevent animal suffering and to ensure their animals’ needs are met.

“Mr McFall caused this animal to suffer unnecessarily. It had been left to suffer for 48 hours.”

The charge relates to a visit to McFall’s property by MPI animal welfare inspectors on 3 April 2020 following a complaint from the public.

“Initially, the officers thought the calf was dead. It was extremely emaciated with body sores and hundreds of maggots in its mouth.

“A vet inspection concluded the emaciated calf had been lying down for a significant period, and it had been unable to move for at least a day.

“The calf had been suffering from severe internal parasitism which led to weight loss. This situation was totally avoidable. Mr McFall did not give the animal the care it needed,” Harrison says.

He says the cow would have been extremely stressed because of severe hunger and not being able to get up.

He says any member of the public who is aware of animal ill-treatment or cruelty should alert MPI via the animal welfare complaints freephone so that action can be taken.

More like this

Bikinis in cowshed

OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.

Editorial: Agri's mojo is back

OPINION: Good times are coming back for the primary industries. From sentiment expressed at Fieldays to the latest rural confidence survey results, all indicate farmer confidence at a near-record high.

MPI: Primary sector exports hit record $60B

A blockbuster year and an exciting performance: that's how Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Director General, Ray Smith is describing the massive upsurge in the fortunes of the primary sector exports for the year ended June 2025.

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter