A former Morven farmer was sentenced in the Oamaru District Court yesterday for the ill-treatment of a Friesian cow, found with its right eye completely ''obliterated'' and a maggot infestation, as it suffered from eye cancer.
Bryan Andrew Sales (37), farmer, now of Canterbury, pleaded guilty to ill-treatment of a cow between October 1, 2013 and February 19, 2014 when he appeared before Judge Joanna Maze yesterday.
He was convicted, fined $2500 and ordered to pay court costs $130 and reparation of vet fees ($513.70).
The court heard Sales was a sharemilker in the Morven area, responsible for a herd of 640 milking cows.
He had more than 20 years' farming experience.
The charges stemmed from an animal welfare complaint about the state of an animal on the farm, which was investigated on February 18.
The welfare inspection found a Friesian cow, tagged ''305'', with its right eye completely ''obliterated'' and a maggot infestation on its face.
A vet confirmed the cow's condition was an advanced and severe case of cancer of the eye.
Crown counsel Leonie Matehaere said the vet determined it was likely there would have been considerable pain and distress from this tumour.
Immediate assistance was sought and the animal was euthanised.
In a statement, Sales said cow 305 was supposed to be in a penicillin herd but he had not seen it for more than a month.
It had never been treated by a vet, due to an underlying case of mastitis.
The court was told Sales was advised to shoot the cow, but never did.
Defence counsel Michael de Buyzer said Sales was under a lot of stress at the time because his wife was undergoing surgery.
He disputed the period of neglect of the cow, as it had been seen by a vet three weeks before the welfare inspection and its condition deteriorated quickly in the following three weeks.
