Man banned from farming after cruelty
A former Canterbury farm manager will not be allowed to farm animals again for two years after breaking the tails of more than 40 cows in his care.
Carl Ryan McNaught, 29, was sentenced to community detention, community work, and ordered to pay reparations for ill-treating dozens of cows in his care on a dairy farm in Hororata in 2015.
McNaught also tipped cows onto the ground, kicked, and punched them, and hit one with an iron bar, a Christchurch District Court trial was told in November.
Prosecutor Grant Fletcher, from the Ministry for Primary Industries, said they were seeking a disqualification from working with farm animals, and reparation for the veterinarian costs.
He said McNaught’s pre-sentence report found he was a low risk of reoffending.
Defence counsel Gerard Thwaites said the prosecution had given McNaught a real shake-up.
Judge David Saunders sentenced McNaught yesterday on charges of illtreating the cows, and failing to provide treatment to alleviate pain and distress for them. He said McNaught lost his temper in the milking shed and veterinary inspections found between 41 and 47 cows had their tails broken while he was in charge.
The judge said McNaught had a passion for farming, but a message had to be sent to him and others in the dairy industry that breaking tails was not acceptable.
He sentenced McNaught to five months’ community detention with a curfew from 8pm to 6am, 140 hours’ community work, and reparation of $1000 for veterinary costs.
He also disqualified him from being involved in the management of dairy stock or farm animals for two years, but that did not include owning companion animals.