A Canterbury farmer found responsible for starving his cattle, resulting in at least 20 dying, and others having to be euthanised has been banned from owning cattle and ordered to do 240 hours community work.
Stuart Wellesley Parkinson (45) was sentenced yesterday (29 August 2024) on 3 charges under the Animal Welfare Act in the Christchurch District Court, following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
"Animal Welfare Inspectors and a veterinarian examined his cattle and along with discovering at least 20 dead cows in various areas of the property, they had to euthanise about 8 cows and calves,” says MPI manager of animal welfare and National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) compliance, South, Peter Hyde.
"These animals were starving, evident from their grinding of teeth, circling when walking and in some cases, their inability to stand up on their feet. These animals needed immediate veterinary attention. People in charge of animals are responsible for their wellbeing at all times – including providing quality feed and water. Mr Parkinson failed to live up to these responsibilities."
In August 2022, MPI received a complaint and inspected Mr Parkinson’s cattle at a property in the Selwyn District. They found the farm had about 70 cows and 20 calves. There was a lack of grass cover, water pooling, muddy paddocks, and few dry areas for the animals to lie down. The herd was calving, and their average weights were examined and found to be below the Code of Welfare for Dairy Cattle.
"The animal welfare problems must have been obvious to Mr Parkinson. At no point did he seek veterinary attention. The veterinarian diagnosed the herd as suffering from severe malnutrition, caused by failing to provide sufficient feed. Mr Parkinson had fed these animals on grass only during that winter, stating that he had been trying to sell the cattle and that he had run out of feed.
"When we find evidence of deliberate neglect – we will investigate and take action by placing the matter before the court," Peter Hyde says.
MPI strongly encourages any member of the public who is aware of animal ill treatment or cruelty to report it to the MPI animal welfare complaints freephone 0800 00 83 33.
For further information and general enquiries, email info@mpi.govt.nz
For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.
