Help available for flood-hit farmers
The chair of the Otago Rural Support Trust, Tom Pinckney, says he believes that they will be especially busy in the coming months as the enormity of the floods hit home.
A Hastings man has been banned from owning livestock for five years and fined $7,800 after failing to provide 26 cattle with sufficient food, resulting in two of them dying and two being euthanised to prevent further suffering.
Rufus Mohi Watene, 54, was sentenced in the Hastings District Court last week following a prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) under the Animal Welfare Act.
MPI regional manager Animal Welfare and National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) compliance, Joanna Tuckwell says the surviving animals were severely underweight.
"All animal owners have a responsibility to their animals, regardless of the number in their care. Most people in charge of animals do the right thing by them. This situation was particularly disappointing because it was entirely preventable if Mr Watene took the right steps,” she says.
In July 2021, MPI animal welfare inspectors observed the animals at Watene’s Te Hauke property.
They noticed underweight cattle with spines, hipbones, and ribs visibly prominent.
The pasture was poor, and the straw being fed was of low quality and not sufficient to meet daily nutritional needs for these animals.
A search warrant was obtained, and animal welfare inspectors and a veterinarian went onto the property and discovered two dead cattle along with a calf and another cow that both had to be euthanised.
"The veterinarian concluded that the cause of death was likely starvation. Although he was not an experienced farmer, our investigation found that Mr Watene knew these animals were in poor condition for at least a month. Instead of seeking help Mr Watene left them to suffer and he quite simply failed these animals," says Tuckwell.
The surviving animals were provided proper care and have since been sold.
The court also ordered Watene to pay veterinary costs of $2,046.77.
If you become aware of suspected ill-treatment, cruelty, or neglect, contact MPI's animal welfare complaints freephone 0800 00 83 33. Alternatively, you can report an animal welfare issue online.
Five hunting-related shootings this year is prompting a call to review firearm safety training for licencing.
The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.
Fonterra shareholders are concerned with a further decline in the co-op’s share of milk collected in New Zealand.
A governance group has been formed, following extensive sector consultation, to implement the recommendations from the Industry Working Group's (IWG) final report and is said to be forming a 'road map' for improving New Zealand's animal genetic gain system.
Free workshops focused on managing risk in sharefarming got underway last week.
Annual farmer gathering, the South Island Dairy Event (SIDE), is set to make history as it heads to Timaru for the first time.
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