Serious Animal Welfare Failure Leads to Lifetime Ban for Rangitikei Farmer

David William Newcombe, age 50, was sentenced in the Marton District Court after pleading guilty to eight charges under the Animal Welfare Act following prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

Shane Keohane, MPI district manager animal welfare and NAIT compliance central says Newcombe’s actions were “serious offending”.

“Mr Newcombe failed to live up to his responsibilities to provide enough quality feed and timely veterinarian care for his cattle and sheep and as a result, animals suffered and died,” Keohane says.

When animal welfare inspectors visited the property, they found evidence that 86 contract grazing wagyu cattle had died from underfeeding and being affected by parasites.

The remaining 60 wagyu cattle were also in poor body weight condition and underfed. Once these animals were provided access to proper feed, they quickly regained weight.

There was also evidence that a further 40 sheep had died or been euthanised because their fleeces had not been shorn for between 18 months and two years, leaving them recumbent.

A thousand other sheep were underfed and in very light body weight condition and many were suffering from worm burdens. At least 15 sheep were euthanised to prevent further suffering.

Newcombe was directed under the Animal Welfare Act to make urgent changes, including selling surplus lambs and destocking excess cattle within seven days.

However, when an animal welfare inspector and veterinarian checked back, they found he had not sold all the lambs and had not destocked any cattle.

“Most farmers do the right thing by their animals, but Mr Newcombe clearly did not,” says Keohane.

“This was compounded by the fact that under his grazing contract, he had access to free veterinarian but did not appear to use them,” he adds.

MPI strongly encourages any member of the public aware of animal ill-treatment or cruelty to report it to the MPI animal welfare complaints freephone 0800 008 333.