Warning over illegal earthworks to realign waterways
Anyone carrying out illegal earthworks to realign or reclaim waterways may face prosecution and potentially a hefty fine, Taranaki Regional Council says.
A South Auckland dairy farmer has been fined $3,250 for unlawfully amputating the teats of seven cows using rubber rings as a tourniquet.
Pieter Nicholaas Smit, 60, was sentenced at the Morrinsville District Court for one representative animal welfare charge, after earlier pleading guilty. The case was brought to court by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
MPI Animal Welfare and National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) regional compliance manager, Brendon Mikkelsen, says Smit failed to provide appropriate care to the animals.
“Teat removal is a significant surgical procedure. It should be undertaken by a veterinarian using anaesthesia.”
An animal welfare inspector visited Smit’s property at Waiuku on May 20, 2020, after a complaint was made.
He admitted to using the rubber rings on the cows when mastitis did not clear up after treatment with antibiotics. The offending occurred over a five-year period.
Teat removal is not a treatment for mastitis, and the practice is opposed by experienced veterinarians.
“In New Zealand, everyone must take responsibility for animal welfare. We strongly encourage any member of the public who is aware of ill-treatment or cruelty to report it to the MPI animal welfare complaints freephone 0800 00 83 33”,” says Mikkelsen.
A small company which mobilised veterinarians around the country to deal with Mycoplasma bovis was one of the winners in this year's Biosecurity Awards, held at Parliament.
One of the country's top Māori sheep and beef farms is facing a five-year battle to get back to where it was before Cyclone Gabrielle struck just over 14 months ago.
Graham Brown, the executive chef for Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ), is excited about Korea.
One of the country's leading experts on China has praised the NZ Government for its handling of the recent incident with China over that country's cyber attack on two of our parliamentary institutions in 2021.
The world’s largest wool processing facility, badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle over one year ago, has re-opened following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project.
Kiwi rugby star Renee Holmes is set for a fruitful year.