NZ s first rodeo related prosecution sees Northland farmer fined for animal cruelty
21 Jan, 2021 10:12 PM
4 minutes to read
Northland farmer Derek Robinson was sentenced in the Whangārei District Court on Friday for ill-treating cattle at a rodeo. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Northland farmer Derek Robinson was sentenced in the Whangārei District Court on Friday for ill-treating cattle at a rodeo. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Multimedia journalist for the Northern Advocatekarina.cooper@nzme.co.nz
A Northland farmer of great character convicted of using a live electric prodder on two distressed steers at a rodeo was an example of good people breaking the law, a judge has found.
That hardly made a dent in the more than 40,000 registered dogs in the city. The council cannot order a dog be put down (only the courts can), but the council does have the power to dispose of dogs that have been impounded and remained unclaimed for seven days, or that are not suitable for adoption.
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Kathryn Rutherford s dog, Soula, was put down in July 2020 after biting a toddler in the face. When the number of dogs being destroyed are compared to the number of attacks reported to the council, it is clear only a small portion of dogs involved in attacks end up being destroyed.
BREAKING: A new investigation and rescue exposes extreme abuse of newborn calves at a
Wisconsin Land O’Lakes dairy farm #
LetDairyDie
My comment: I don’t know what the US Animal Welfare Act says, but here the law says that anyone who tortures an animal or kills it for no good reason can be punished with up to three years imprisonment under the Animal Welfare Act.
But this penalty is practically never imposed for animal welfare violations in factory farming.
Often times there is not even a charge.
What takes place in the Wisconsin Farm is not uncommon here in Germany and in Europe in general.
17/12 – We have had the following in to us from SAFE, New Zealand.
They have achieved major wins legally for animals over the last few weeks; now it is time to ramp up the pressure even more and get the government to act.
From SAFE:
We achieved victory for mother pigs, now we need Government action
Today SAFE and the New Zealand Animal Law Association (NZALA) have published a full-page open letter in the New Zealand Herald, asking the Prime Minister to appoint a Commissioner for Animals.
Last month, the High Court found that the Minister of Agriculture and his advisors from the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) acted illegally when they failed to phase out farrowing crates and mating stalls for mother pigs.
Source:Â SAFE NZ
Last month the High Court found that the Minister of Agriculture Damien OâConnor, on the advice of the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), had acted unlawfully by not phasing out the use of farrowing crates and mating stalls.
Now that the Government has accepted the Courtâs decision, SAFE and the New Zealand Animal Law Association (NZALA) have written an open letter to the Prime Minister asking her to appoint a Commissioner for Animals. The letter was published in the New Zealand Herald this morning.
SAFE CEO Debra Ashton said this Government needs to get serious about animal welfare.