A Northland farmer has been banned from owning deer for three years after investigators found he had underfed more than 145 of the animals – along with 14 carcasses – on a farm he was “neglecting”.
Niven John Lowrie was also fined $7000 when he was sentenced in the Manukau District Court yesterday on two charges under the Animal Welfare Act.
The 66-year-old was also ordered to pay a further $7161.97 to the Ministry for Primary Industries for veterinarian-associated costs.
MPI regional manager of animal welfare and NAIT compliance, Brendon Mikkelsen, said Lowrie was managing another farm outside of the district and “neglecting his own animals at his Northland farm”.
He said their investigation found more than 145 deer were “basically left to fend for themselves with poor pasture and a lack of supplementary feed”.
When inspectors responded to a complaint about the deer, they found 14 deer carcasses at the farm. They also discovered a deer stuck in mud and tangled in a fence by its antlers which had to be euthanised to end its suffering, MPI said.
“Being an absent farmer is unacceptable. People in charge of animals are responsible at all times for their well-being. The suffering of these deer could have been prevented if Mr Lowrie had stayed on top of his responsibilities,” Mikkelsen said.
“When we find evidence of deliberate animal neglect, we will hold farmers to account and put the case before the court.”