More than three dozen cows were found to be emaciated. Photo: Supplied / Ministry of Primary Industries
A Waikato cattle farming family has been fined for failing to adequately care and feed their animals, resulting in more than half a dozen animal deaths.
Ministry for Primary Industries animal welfare inspectors and a veterinarian inspected a herd of up to 180 cattle at the Quigleys' 26-hectare farm in Matamata, from July 2022.
MPI spokesperson Bianca Upton said there were already seven dead cows found on the property, 39 cattle were assessed as emaciated, and three more cows were euthanised due to their poor health, for issues including worms and starvation.
"These animal deaths were preventable," Upton said.
"The grass cover for grazing animals was minimal. They were also providing low-quality supplementary feed - some of it mouldy and rotten.
"Most farmers do the right thing for their animals, but the Quigleys were not living up to their welfare obligations and more of these animals were at a high risk of dying from starvation."
One of the cows that survived. Photo: Supplied / Ministry of Primary Industries
Shane Ross Quigley, and his parents Colin Ross Quigley and Margaret Heather Quigley, were sentenced on four charges under the Animal Welfare Act in the Morrinsville District Court this week, as a result of the MPI prosecution.
The family was fined a total of $23,000, and also ordered to pay more than $4000 in veterinarian costs.
Colin and Shane Quigley were disqualified from being in charge of more than 100 cattle over the age of six months and 30 cattle under the age of six months.
They will also need to employ a farm consultant to carry out visits every four to six weeks.
MPI encourages any member of the public who is aware of animal ill treatment or cruelty to report it to its animal welfare complaints freephone 0800 00 83 33.