Dairy farmer convicted

A cow’s cancerous eye that could be smelt five to six metres away has resulted in a Morrinsville farmer being convicted. The cow had to be euthanised because of the untreated cancer lesion in her eye. Selwyn Wayne Berger, 71, was fined $2930 when he appeared in the Morrinsville District Court on one animal welfare charge, after the case was brought to court by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). The charge relates to a visit to Berger’s dairy farm on April 23 following a complaint from a member of the public who had concerns about the general condition of the milking herd. While looking through the herd, the inspector immediately noticed that the cow’s eye was completely shut and weeping, and the infection could be smelt up to six metres away.