Farmers avoid jail in 'largest case of animal neglect'

200 cows had to be put down. Photo / File

Two men involved in the largest case of animal neglect in the South Island dairy sector have avoided jail.

Forty four-year-old Dean McMillan and 41-year-old Jared Matthews appeared in the Invercargill District Court for sentencing on three Animal Welfare Act charges.

The two men were looking after two large Lumsden-based Castlerock Dairies Limited farms, which came under fire in a two-week investigation in May 2015.

More than 900 cows were affected by lameness, after long and painful walks on poorly maintained tracks between the two milking stations.

Nearly 200 cows had to be put down, more than 750 needed further treatment, and almost 100 others had ingrown horns.

Judge Bernadette Farnam said there were faults on all sides, and it was a life-changing situation for the two managers.

She sentenced each of the men to 275 hours community work, plus a $10,000 fine plus court costs.

Castlerock Dairies Limited has also been fined $37,500, plus prosecution costs of $11,500.

MPI lawyer Grant Fletcher said the scene was disturbing, and argued the animals suffered because the men had not done their jobs.

"The company was amiss in the direct control of the farm's situation, and the managers were amiss by not grasping what had happened, not recognising what had happened, and taking steps to deal with that," Fletcher said.

Castleford Dairies defence counsel Garth Galloway said the company was willing to put money in for proper track maintenance, and disputed there had been refusals for financial help in the past.

McMillan's counsel Rachel Adams said the scale of the farm, combined with severe weather that deteriorated the tracks in April and May had created a perfect storm.

Matthews' counsel Kate Logan said it was her clients' first appearance in court and until then they had a blemish-free record.

The two men are no longer with Castlerock, but have found other work managing dairy farms.