KEY POINTS:
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is deciding whether to prosecute a Central Otago farmer over thousands of starving sheep left to cope in bitterly cold winter conditions.
The ministry yesterday confirmed it was working with the experienced farmer to improve the state of his flock of about 19,000 "under-fed" sheep.
Some were found to be starving after the SPCA investigated following a complaint last week, said MAF spokeswoman Helen Keyes.
One worker in the animal welfare field described the state of the flock to the Herald as "your worst nightmare".
But Ms Keyes said the farmer had been caught out by a "very challenging" environment and climatic conditions.
"The conditions got on top of him." The farm is near Omakau, about 20 minutes' drive from Alexandra.
Conditions in the area in recent weeks have been severe, with snow and sub-zero temperatures. The temperature plunged to -14C in recent days. Ms Keyes said the farmer was now working from a plan for his sheep developed by MAF.
"He's been co-operative and implemented the plan and is working hard to turn the situation around."
No decision had been made about any charges against the farmer, Ms Keyes said.
MAF has urged farmers to make decisions early to buy extra feed and sell stock when faced with extreme winter conditions.
Federated Farmers president Charlie Pedersen said the organisation could never support wilful or negligent stewardship of animals, because proper care was in everybody's interests.
But farmers came under many pressures and "we have been through a very difficult 12 months climatically".
"This year it has been very difficult to source feed from off the farm because it has been a tough year all around the country."
Mr Pedersen said it was never simple when it came to determining whether an animal was in healthy shape or not.
