Napier farmer sentenced after 35 calves die, MPI officers spent $10k trying to save them

Animal welfare officers bought more than $10,000 worth of feed as they tried to save the lives of hundreds of starving calves at a farm property near Napier.

But their efforts were partly in vain because 35 of the calves died or had to be put down.

Michael Vette, 65, has now been sentenced in the Hastings District Court on two charges of ill-treating animals and failing to prevent suffering, laid under the Animal Welfare Act.

The prosecution was brought by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI), whose inspectors went to Vette’s 36-hectare leased block in 2019 in response to complaints that the animals on it were in poor condition.

They found 480 calves in poor or light condition through lack of feed.

The court was told that Vette had been a sheep and beef farmer his whole life, but had suffered a marriage break-up and was struggling financially when he attempted his calf-raising venture four years ago.

“I accept that at that point in your life things had got on top of you,” Judge John McDonald said in sentencing Vette yesterday.

MPI officers found Vette was feeding the calves eggs and water.

Despite Vette telling the officers that he would sell some of the animals, and despite them providing him with $10,500 worth of milk replacement feed, 35 of the animals could not be saved.

The crisis lasted six weeks, which Judge McDonald said was “a long time in the life of a calf”.

Defence counsel Scott Jefferson said Vette was dependent on his superannuation and part-time work so was not in a position to pay a fine.

He could manage $50 a week for reparation, which would take him four years to pay off the amount paid for feed by MPI.

Judge McDonald said that Vette would have money coming to him through a delayed matrimonial property settlement.

He sentenced Vette to 175 hours of community work and ordered him to pay $10,553 in reparation.

“Taxpayers should not be out of pocket because they, MPI, came to the party,” the judge said.

Prosecutions under the Animal Welfare Act are relatively rare in Hawke’s Bay.

Vette’s was one of only seven laid in the region in the past six years, out of 199 nationally.

But Vette’s case was one of three to reach the sentencing stage nationally during May.

On May 5, Levin farmer Daniel Kilsby-Halliday, 40, was fined $32,000 and ordered to pay $7161 in vet fees and associated costs after 29 of his cattle died through lack of food.

Southland farmer Neville Stuart Harper, 62, was fined $7500 on May 24 after more than 30 of his sheep were found to be lacking sufficient feed. Three had to be euthanised.