Fine for sending drugged calves to works

A Waimate dairy farm which sent bobby calves to the works containing drug residues has been fined a record $6000 in a case taken by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA).

Timaru District Court was told that in September last year a calf randomly selected from 35 sent for processing by Cantley Developments showed residues of sulphonamides, a type of drug used to treat bacterial infections in cattle.

The residue level is not a risk to humans but its presence in meat is prohibited.

Judge Phil Moran ordered Cantley Developments to pay $6000 plus court costs.

Cantley employee Janet McKenzie, who had purchased the drug, was fined $500 plus court costs.

The normal fine for such a case was about $1000, and this case had set an excellent precedent, NZFSA assistant director Justin Rowlands said outside the court.

He said farmers needed to be aware of dosage rates and withholding periods for the particular drugs they used.

- NZPA