The latest conviction comes after a steady string of Kaipara farmers have come through the courts to face charges of ill-treatment of animals. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The latest conviction comes after a steady string of Kaipara farmers have come through the courts to face charges of ill-treatment of animals. Photo / Mark Mitchell
An experienced farmer in charge of more than 800 animals was found to have neglected almost half of them - and when directed to euthanise a severely lame bull, he still hadn’t done it a week later because he couldn’t find it.
Jeffrey Allan Wood of Ruawai appeared in the Whangārei District Court for sentencing this week after pleading guilty to six charges of ill-treatment of an animal under the Animal Welfare Act.
The sentencing follows a string of convictions against farmers in the Kaipara region over the last few years for negligent acts on animals.
When a veterinarian complained about the state of Wood’s cattle in July 2020, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) sent an animal inspector out to the farm who uncovered evidence of neglect.
Animal welfare inspectors examined a total of 840 animals and found 387 cattle to be in poor physical health.
Cattle were found to have had a chronic lack of grass and supplementary feed, resulting in bad diarrhoea and emaciation. The condition of one animal was so bad that MPI directed him to euthanise the animal, but when they returned a week later, found he had still not performed the task. Woods claimed he was unable to locate the animal.
“These animals were suffering, and Mr Wood’s delayed action prolonged their suffering. He failed to meet the physical, health and behavioural needs of these animals. When we find evidence that animal welfare has been neglected, if appropriate – we will place the matter before the court,” MPI acting national manager of animal welfare and NAIT compliance, Brendon Mikkelson, said.
Wood was found to have failed to meet the physical, health and behavioural needs of almost 400 animals. Photo / Michael Craig
“Most farmers do the right thing, and Mr Wood is an experienced farmer and knew what he needed to do to feed and provide for the welfare of his animals,” Mikkelson said.
“These animals were thin and fell well below meeting the standard of the Sheep and Beef Cattle Code of Welfare.”
The 69-year-old was fined $30,000 for failing to provide adequate feed for nearly 400 animals, with Judge Greg Davis directing he pay $2834 in veterinarian expenses and $6057 in farmer consultant fees.
In recent years, there has been a steady flow of farmers from the Kaipara region coming through the courts for a range of ill-treatment of animals charges.
In 2021, Kaipara dairy farmer Kenneth Wood was sentenced to five months of home detention and disqualified from having control over animals for five years for his treatment of bulls on his farm. Three bulls were found to have fence wire wrapped around their legs for months, which Wood failed to remedy. The 64-year-old has been convicted and fined $5000 for animal-related offences on two previous occasions.
Kenneth McConnell, 73, of Mangapai was fined $15,000 in 2022 for failing to register 400 cattle on his property and eight illegal movements of 117 cattle from the farm to the meat works.
Michael Goodwin, 75, was fined in 2022 and banned from owning or managing animals for a decade after animals in his care at his Dargaville farm were found to be lame, infected with parasites and mouth infections.
Brian Greenway, 82, came to the attention of MPI in 2021 after complaints were made about the poor condition of animals on his Kaiwaka property.
On inspection of his property, MPI found the majority of the farmer’s bulls were in good condition. However, the younger and older cows were in an emaciated condition, scoring one on the beef cattle scale, with five being optimal condition. He admitted the animals did not have enough to eat and he had stopped feeding out some time ago.
He was fined $4000 earlier this year.
When asked how his farm had got into such a state, he told inspectors “the farm had got away on him”.
Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.
