increase font size
A lifestyle block farmer has been fined $3,500 after he was found to have starved 26 cows.
A Waikato lifestyle block owner has been fined $2,500 for failing to adequately feed 26 cattle and $1,000 for not complying with the requirements of a notice issued by an MPI animal welfare inspector.
He was also ordered to pay vet costs of $1,442.22.
Alastair Robert Kane Hughes, 59, appeared in Morrinsville District Court yesterday for sentencing on two animal welfare charges after the case was brought to court by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
The charges relate to a visit to Hughes’s property, a 4 hectare lifestyle property in Morrinsville, by an animal welfare inspector on 23 July 2020 following a complaint from a member of the public.
At the time of the MPI inspection, Hughes was responsible for 26 cattle.
MPI animal welfare and NAIT compliance regional manager Brendon Mikkelsen says that where MPI identifies that people in charge of animals are failing to meet their legal requirements, they will apply the intervention most appropriate to the circumstances.
“After the inspection Mr Hughes was instructed to provide his cattle sufficient feed to meet their nutritional demands.
“People in charge of animals have an obligation to the welfare of those animals. The animals were Mr Hughes’s primary responsibility and he failed them.”
On 13 August 2020, an animal welfare inspector and veterinarian returned to the property.
After the first visit, Hughes continued to underfeed his cattle, providing them approximately half of their daily feed requirements resulting in the cattle continuing to lose weight.
Four of those cattle required urgent attention to improve their body condition.
Mikkelsen says, “All cases of animal abuse are unacceptable, people in charge of animals have an obligation to the welfare of those animals. The cattle in Mr Hughes’s care were suffering from severe malnutrition.
“In New Zealand, everyone must take responsibility for animal welfare.”
He says that MPI strongly encourages any member of the public who is aware of animal ill-treatment or cruelty to report it to the MPI animal welfare complaints freephone.
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.
The Director General of MPI, Ray Smith, says the growth in the kiwifruit sector is a massive bounce back.
Horticulture Minister Nicola Grigg says she takes her hat off to all NZ growers for the hard yards they have put in over the last few years which have resulted in horticulture exports expected to reach the milestone of $8 billion this year.
The first phase of a Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigation into allegations of mistreatment of sheep connected to shearing practices has been completed.
"We at Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and you at Dairy News said over six months ago that the dairy industry would bounce back, and it has done so with interest.”
Now is not the time to stop incorporating plantain into dairy pasture systems to reduce nitrogen (N) loss, says Agricom Australasia brand manager Mark Brown.
Building on the success of last year's events, the opportunity to attend People Expos is back for 2025, offering farmers the chance to be inspired and gain more tips and insights for their toolkits to support their people on farm.
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.
Precision application of nitrogen can improve yields, but the costs of testing currently outweigh improved returns, according to new research from Plant and Food Research, MPI and Ravensdown.
Professionals in South Waikato are succeeding in governance, thanks to a governance mentoring programme for South Waikato.
Timpack, one of New Zealand's largest wooden pallet and bin manufacturers, has been rewarded an exclusive contract to supply Fonterra.
OPINION: Henry Dimbleby, author of the UK's Food Strategy, recently told the BBC: "Meat production is about 85% of our…
OPINION: For the last few weeks, we've witnessed a parade of complaints about New Zealand's school lunch program: 'It's arriving…
