increase font size
A Tokoroa farmer has been fined $17,5000 for the deaths of 11 cattle.
A dairy farmer whose neglect of yearling cattle led to 11 deaths has been fined $17,500 and warned that he could be disqualified from farming if he appears on animal welfare charges again.
Rodney Grant Nicol (61) appeared for sentencing in the Tokoroa District Court, having earlier pleaded guilty to seven charges under the Animal Welfare Act.
Nicol owns a 300-cow dairy farm and had 110 yearling cattle at the time he was investigated by Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) from 10 August 2020.
“Most farmers do the right thing for all their animals, including ensuring that they have sufficient food and are being treated for common conditions such as parasites. If we find evidence of deliberate cruelty to animals, we will hold the person responsible to account,” says Brendon Mikkelsen, MPI regional manager animal welfare and NAIT compliance.
During the first visit, an MPI animal welfare inspector found seven dead yearlings on his paddocks, which Nicol told the inspector he believed had died from parasites.
Nicol was then instructed to drench all his yearlings for parasites within nine working days.
Further complaints about the treatment of the yearlings were received by MPI.
A subsequent visit by an animal welfare inspector on 22 August 2020 found 32 of the yearlings had not been drenched within the agreed time. Many of the animals were also suffering from chronic undernutrition.
A veterinarian recommended two other yearlings be euthanised to end their suffering – including one that was so weak it was stuck in a fence. A tenth animal was found dead near these yearlings. Nicol said an eleventh yearling that had been drenched and given a vitamin B12 shot died after being caught in a rainstorm.
“The vet also noted that he had not come across young stock in such a state of malnourishment during his career, as they were less than half the weight they should have been. These animals would have suffered greatly from the neglect Mr Nicol showed them,” says Mikkelsen.
During the investigation, Nicol told an MPI animal welfare inspector that he prioritised his milking herd over ensuring the wellbeing of the yearlings was being met.
Nicol has previously appeared before the courts on an animal welfare charge, which he pleaded guilty to, involving failure to ensure reasonable treatment of a dairy cow with a broken leg.
A farm owner and two former Waikato contract milkers were recently fined $27,000 over a lack of feed for 230 cattle and a lack of treatment for cows suffering from milk fever.
A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.
Convictions and fines totalling $112,500 have been imposed on a logging company for repeated environmental damage on a farm near Wahi between August 2022 and October 2023.
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.
OPINION: Ministry for Primary Industries' situation outlook for primary industries report (SOPI) makes impressive reading.
The team meeting at the Culverden Hotel was relaxed and open, despite being in the middle of calving when stress levels are at peak levels, especially in bitterly cold and wet conditions like today.
A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.
OPINION: The phasing out of copper network from communications is understandable.
Driven by a lifelong passion for animals, Amy Toughey's journey from juggling three jobs with full-time study to working on cutting-edge dairy research trials shows what happens when hard work meets opportunity - and she's only just getting started.
The New Zealand Fish & Game Council has announced a leadership change in an effort to provide strategic direction for the sector and support the implementation of proposed legislative changes.
AgFirst, New Zealand's largest independent agribusiness consultancy, is turning 30 - celebrating three decades of "trusted advice, practical solutions, and innovative thinking".
OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…
OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…
