Animal welfare inspectors carried out a search warrant at a Southland dairy farm today after again finding cows in unacceptable conditions there this week.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) was first alerted to cows being in deep mud on the farm near Riverton in May, and had to euthanise seven animals. Since then, inspectors have had to visit repeatedly.
"Over the last couple of months we've attended the farm for assessments, monitoring and inspections on 13 occasions," MPI's director of compliance and response Glen Burrell told 1News.
"When our inspectors have turned up earlier this week there were things that we saw that were concerning and also a standard that was unacceptable.
"In these very serious cases a prosecution is likely."
Burrell said animal welfare inspectors have made the farmer remove 90 pregnant cows both to separate paddocks and off the property altogether, and that more cows were being moved to different paddocks today. As a result the welfare on-farm was improving.
"As I understand it, as I've been told today there's no concerns for the stock on-farm," Burrell said.
But the Green Party is unimpressed with how long it has taken MPI to act on what it calls a "mud farm".
"It's taken far too long. It's over since 70 days now (since a complaint was laid) and there are still now cows on that farm ... Most New Zealanders do not want to see animals wallowing in mud and their own excrement," Steve Abel, the party's animal welfare spokesperson, said.
"It's good that they're taking action, unfortunately that action has only occurred because members of the public have courageously filmed and documented what's happening there."
Burrell said animal welfare was everyone's responsibility and he encouraged people to send footage through to MPI.
"Certainly some of the images that I've seen are unacceptable, this has led to us taking action and escalating action as required."
1News contacted the farmer's lawyer today seeking comment but did not receive a response.
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