Cow abuse case bad look for industry

''Whenever you have one of these cases, it does reflect badly (on the industry)''. Federated Farmers dairy industry group chairman Andrew Hoggard

Federated Farmers hopes the naming and shaming of a North Otago dairy farmer who deliberately broke the tails of nearly 50 cows will act as a major deterrent for other farm workers.

The comments came from Federated Farmers dairy industry group chairman Andrew Hoggard, of Feilding, after Jeffrey Antony Wright (37), farm manager, was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court yesterday.

It was reported Wright was sentenced to four months' community detention, ordered to do 100 hours of community work and ordered to pay $2817 reparation to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

Wright, a father of four, admitted two charges laid under the Animal Welfare Act in August.

He wilfully ill-treated eight dairy cows by breaking their tails and recklessly ill-treated 40 more cows by breaking their tails when he was working 14-15 hours a day, seven days a week, and was under immense monetary pressure.

This winter, he said, that stress led to an ''inability to control his frustration'' at the animals.

Mr Hoggard said while he believed Wright's public naming and shaming would be a major deterrent for others on farms, he added ''whenever you have one of these cases, it does reflect badly [on the industry]''.

''Yes, it was only one person, but there have been several cases over the last year,'' Mr Hoggard said. ''All of the cases that I can remember, it's been a very similar story - stress, long hours, fatigue - the person sort of snapped and lashed out.

''It's always inappropriate to deal with your anger in that way. Basically, in terms of the stress, it's an unfortunate side effect, I think, across our sector, all those stats, for suicide, domestic violence, they've all trended in the wrong way in relation to stress the last couple years.''

He said it was important to ensure farm workers were not working such long hours.

''A number of the animal welfare [cases] I do see, often there's very much a human welfare aspect as well,'' Mr Hoggard said.

''A healthy, rested, clear-minded person, it's more likely they will look after animals well, than someone who is not.''

Fairfax reported Judge Tom Gilbert told Wright he was ''clearly a man under considerable stress because of the downturn in the dairy industry, as well as the work burdens that come with being a dairy farmer, and the pressures from being a father of four young kids''.

MPI staff and veterinarians turned up at the Queens Flat farm Wright was managing on January 28, 2014, after a complaint was made by a member of the public.

A vet examined the tails of all 1065 cows, found several cows with broken tails, and concluded the injuries would have been ''extremely painful'' and ''quite deliberate''.

Wright admitted the offending and he was co-operative.

Fairfax reported that MPI prosecutor Grant Fletcher said tail-breaking within New Zealand's dairy farming industry would not be tolerated.

''It is cruel and completely unnecessary,'' Mr Fletcher said.

''If tail-breaking is brought to our attention, we will always investigate and, if appropriate, place the matter before the court.''

Wright will serve his community detention at Papakaio, north of Oamaru, about 25km from the farm where he works, and where the offending happened in 2014 and 2015.