11 May 2018

Farmer banned from owning animals for five years after beating cows

5:10 pm on 11 May 2018

A Golden Bay farmer has been banned from owning animals for five years after being convicted of ill-treating cows.

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File picture Photo: 123RF

Steven John Wells, 45, has also been sentenced in the Nelson District Court to six months' community detention and 180-hours' community work.

He had been convicted in March of six charges of ill-treating animals.

The court heard Wells would hit his cows with a polythene pipe with excessive force to get them into the milking shed.

He also he failed to provide proper care for them when they fell ill; made some of the herd walk three kilometres to and from the shed each day; and left dead cows lying around rather than disposing of them properly.

Judge Tony Zohrab said Wells' actions all constituted extreme violence.

The Ministry for Primary Industries said the offending was very serious and the cows he ill-treated would have been in considerable pain.