Farmer caused death of 140 animals, banned from future ownership

A Rangitikei farmer who caused the death of more that 140 animals has been sentenced to more than nine months' home detention and indefinitely banned from owning animals.

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

MPI said when Animal Welfare inspectors visited Newcombe's property, they found evidence that 86 contract grazing wagyu cattle had died from underfeeding and being affected by parasites.

It said the remaining 60 wagyu cattle were also in poor body weight condition and underfed, but quickly regained weight after being properly fed.

MPI said a thousand sheep were underfed and many were suffering from worm burdens, and at least 15 sheep had to be euthanised to prevent further suffering.

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

"This was 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," said Shane Keohane, MPI district manager Animal Welfare and NAIT Compliance Central.

Newcombe was directed under the Animal Welfare Act to make urgent changes including selling surplus lambs and destocking excess cattle within seven days, but MPI said 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. This was compounded by the fact that under his grazing contract he had access to free veterinarian but did not appear to use them," Keohane said.

MPI said animal welfare was everyone's responsibility and it strongly encourages any member of the public who was aware of animal ill-treatment or cruelty to report it to the MPI animal welfare complaints freephone 0800 00 83 33.

-By RNZ