The country's largest share milking company is on trial for animal neglect.
The company, Milk Pride, plus two of its directors and two of its managers, face hundreds of charges for failing to feed or water a large dairy herd.
The company and its employees have pleaded not guilty to all 625 charges.
Photographs show farming shame – dairy cow after dairy cow chronically underfed and ill-treated, according to the Crown.
Prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch told the court the normally glossy hair of the cows was matted and short. Their eyes were dirty and dull. Their heads rested against the ground; they simply didn't have the energy to lift them.
Some were in such poor condition they had to be killed.
"There were animals that had not been feed properly for a significant period of time and animals, as a result, were suffering from underfeeding," says Mr Pilditch.
The cows belong to Milk Pride, which claims to be the biggest share milking company in New Zealand.
In 2009, the Ministry of Agriculture inspected Taharua Farm, near Taupo, owned by the Crafar family.
"Mr Preslin observed a number of cows which he believed to be in emaciated condition and suffering from infections, and recommended that those cows be euthanised immediately," says Mr Pilditch.
Over two days every cow, around 4000 of them, was inspected. One thousand were in poor condition. The dairy farmers blamed two days of snow.
The cows were bought in 2008 for just more than $9 million. The following year, a valuer said they were worth just more than $2 million. That's a drop of $7 million. The Crown said part of the reason for that was they were in such poor condition.
Richard Lamb was the valuer. He told the court the cows were in the worst state he'd ever seen.
"Extremely poor condition – malnutrition, underfed, under stress – sad and sorry state," says Mr Lamb.
Milk Pride, its two directors, Ross Cottier and Murray Flett, and managers Craig Coote and Raymond Griffin have denied the collective 625 charges for breaches of the Animal Welfare Act.
3 News
source: newshub archive
