Emaciated and starved to death: 70 cattle dead in ‘entirely preventable’ neglect

One of 17 emaciated cattle found on George and Regina Thompson's rural Te Akau Rd property between July 28 and 31, 2020. Photo / MPI

Fifty-three cattle were found dead, while another 17 were found so emaciated they had to be euthanised after being left to starve to death on a north Waikato farm.

The cattle in the middle of three blocks of George and Regina Thompson’s isolated and rural Te Akau Rd property had been wilfully neglected for around six months, a court has heard.

At the time, Regina Thompson was having to look after her husband, who was terminally ill and unable to get any help for that block of the farm.

A year earlier, George Thompson had been convicted of animal offences in relation to sheep on his 700-hectare property and was subsequently disqualified from owning them.

The cattle in that particular block were left to starve to death just months later, from January 2020 until they were discovered dead, or nearly dead, by Ministry for Primary Industries [MPI] staff in July that year.

The animals effectively became cut off and left to fend for themselves. As a result, the cattle bred and multiplied in numbers.

“The increasing animal numbers, deterioration of infrastructure, lack of pasture management, and no basic husbandry practices resulted in a severe feed deficit,” court documents state.

Regina Thompson was left to look after her ailing husband and farm, which had nine other shareholders, by herself. She also had mobility issues.

Judge Kim Saunders today told the Hamilton District Court the animals “must have gone through to starve to death when Mrs Thompson should have known better”.

Thompson’s counsel, Chris Cumming, said there wasn’t a lot his client could do, because it was her husband of 38 years who had looked after the farm.

One of 53 cattle found dead by MPI staff on George and Regina Thompson's rural north Waikato farm in 2020. Photo / MPI

However, Judge Saunders said animals needed care and “need to be dealt with humanely and people who are in charge of animals must attend to their welfare and ensure they do not suffer”.

“I can’t even begin to imagine the pain and suffering that the cattle went through because of the decision that you made to completely ignore their welfare,” the judge told Thompson.

“I acknowledge you were looking after your husband and he has since passed on, and accept that was not easy for you.”

But she should have turned her mind to the welfare of the animals, the judge said.

“I do accept that you are very sorry for the pain and suffering that you caused those animals to go through.”

The “obvious pain and suffering” was an aggravating feature as it was “entirely preventable”, she said.

George Thompson’s previous conviction was also an aggravating feature, however, Judge Saunders told the defendant her late husband was also an “extremely controlling and domineering man much older than you”.

She didn’t own the land; George, who died in February this year, owned a 50 per cent stake, while the remaining 50 per cent was shared between nine people.

As at June 30, 2021, her husband’s share had an $86,000 value and she received “spasmodic wages” during their life together.

“But your future financial situation is somewhat bleak.

“You now have to fend for yourself for probably the first time since you were 14, so your ability to pay a significant fine is somewhat mitigated.”

The offending was categorised as having “callous disregard for the health and safety of those animals”.

“It was cruel and, in my opinion, inexcusable. I don’t accept that you were ignorant of their plight. You simply closed your eyes to it. Starvation is entirely preventable.”

The judge took a total starting point of a $50,000 fine before applying 50 per cent discounts for a guilty plea and Thompson’s poor financial state.

The judge said she needed to balance the $24,000 figure by the “precarious” financial position Thompson was now in.

Judge Saunders came to an end fine of $6000 and disqualified her from owning more than 80 cattle for five years while acknowledging Thompson said she would not get back into farming again.