Noel Erickson escaped a jail term over his role in the wilful and reckless mistreatment of bobby calves at Down Cow Pet Food in Te Kauwhata in August 2015. Photo / Natalie Akoorie
Noel Erickson escaped a jail term over his role in the wilful and reckless mistreatment of bobby calves at Down Cow Pet Food in Te Kauwhata in August 2015. Photo / Natalie Akoorie
The employer of a slaughterman whose cruel mistreatment of bobby calves was caught on camera has been sentenced to six months community detention and 180 hours' community work.
Alan Martyn Cleaver's pet-food company Down Cow was also fined $90,000 over the animal abuse, a case so severe authorities say they never want to see the likes of again.
Cleaver, sentenced at the Hamilton District Court, has also been banned from owning or exercising any ownership, control or authority over animals for five years, other than domestic cats and dogs and racing greyhounds he owns.
And the 59-year-old Te Kauwhata man, whose company shut down in May 2016, was placed under a curfew between 9pm and 6am during the detention.
Cleaver had earlier pleaded guilty, the day his trial was set to begin, to four charges under the Animal Welfare Act, including failing to meet the physical, behavioural and health needs of bobby calves that were sent to his company to be destroyed.
The case came to light in 2015 after Farmwatch New Zealand caught former Down Cow slaughterman Noel Piraka Erickson in a secret recording, abusing bobby calves, including hitting, kicking and throwing the young animals.
The footage, made in conjunction with Save Animals From Exploitation [SAFE], showed Erickson wilfully and recklessly ill-treating 111 calves and using blunt force trauma on eight of them during a two-day period in August that year.
Erickson, was sentenced on 10 charges in July 2016 to 10 months home detention after Judge Merelina Burnett accepted the then 38-year-old was not adequately trained or supervised.
The case came to light in 2015 after Farmwatch New Zealand made secret recordings detailing the treatment of bobby calves destined for slaughter. Photo / Supplied
Cleaver previously said he felt his now-defunct company was used as a scapegoat after the footage went public.
But MPI compliance operations manager Garry Orr said he hoped to never see a similar case.
"The video footage for anybody that's seen it is quite disturbing. It's been widely condemned by others in the industry so I'm hoping we never actually see the likes of this again, quite frankly."
Orr said Cleaver ultimately accepted accountability for the actions of an employee which were not lawful.
"I'm never pleased that we have to put something like this before the court. The treatment of vulnerable young animals like this is completely unacceptable in anybody's book.
"Even though these young calves were destined for slaughter, they're still entitled to be treated humanely and ethically and that wasn't the case in this instance."
He said he was confident and hopeful that the behaviour was not indicative of a widespread practice in the industry.
SAFE welcomed the sentencing of Cleaver, whose Huntly slaughterhouse was one of several in the Waikato filmed during the exposé.
SAFE head of campaigns Marianne Macdonald said the group was pleased to see another person held responsible for the "disgusting abuse" of animals at the pet food company.
"The punishments handed to the workers, and to Mr Cleaver today, send a strong message that animal abusers will face justice.
"However, these people would never have faced consequences if Farmwatch and SAFE hadn't been involved to prevent the cruelty."
She said SAFE was now calling on the Government to create an independent animal welfare agency, and ensure it has the funding and power required to enforce the law.
Although Down Cow closed down in May 2016, it reopened two months later under the name New Zealand Pet Food Primary Processors Ltd, with the previous owner's wife as a 50 per cent shareholder.
The new company was put into liquidation in July 2018.
