Rangitikei farmer placed on home detention, banned from owning animals over lack of food and welfare leaving many animals dead

A Rangitikei farmer has been sentenced to serve nine months and three weeks’ home detention and indefinitely banned from owning animals over serious animal welfare failures that caused the death of more than 140 animals.

David William Newcombe (50) was sentenced in the Marton District Court after pleading guilty to eight charges under the Animal Welfare Act, following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

“This was serious offending. Mr Newcombe failed to live up to his responsibilities to provide enough quality feed and timely veterinarian care for his cattle and sheep and as a result animals suffered and died,” says Shane Keohane, MPI District Manager Animal Welfare and NAIT Compliance Central.

When Animal Welfare inspectors visited the property they found evidence that 86 contract grazing wagyu cattle had died from underfeeding and being affected by parasites. The remaining 60 wagyu cattle were also in poor body weight condition and underfed. Once these animals were provided access to proper feed, they quickly regained weight.

There was also evidence that another 40 sheep had died or had been euthanised because their fleeces had not been shorn for between 18 months and two years, leaving them recumbent.

A thousand other sheep were underfed and in very light body weight condition and many were suffering from worm burdens. At least 15 sheep had to be euthanised to prevent further suffering.

Mr Newcombe was directed under the Animal Welfare Act to make urgent changes including selling surplus lambs and destocking excess cattle within seven days, but an Animal Welfare Inspector and Veterinarian found when they checked back, he had not sold all the lambs and had not destocked any cattle.

“Most farmers do the right thing by their animals, but Mr Newcombe clearly did not. This was compounded by the fact that under his grazing contract he had access to free veterinarian but did not appear to use them,” Mr Keohane said.

Animal welfare is everyone's responsibility and 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.

© Scoop Media