A Rotorua farmhand who impaled two cows with tractor forks as he botched a common method of helping them stand after calving has admitted Animal Welfare Act charges. 

Tamarangi Anthony Morris did not tell anyone what he had done and the cows had to be euthanised after being found injured and in distress. 

The 27-year-old has appeared in the Rotorua District Court and pleaded guilty to four charges brought by the Ministry for Primary Industries. 

The charges included two counts of ill-treating a cow and two counts of failing to treat a cow. The offences happened on August 11 and 12 last year. 

One of the cows was impaled in the rump, stomach and udder while the other was wounded in the stomach. 

Tamarangi Anthony Morris, 27, from Rotorua, appeared in the Rotorua District Court and pleaded guilty to four charges after two cows were euthanised. Photo / Andrew Warner 

A summary of facts released to the Rotorua Daily Post said Morris was employed as a farmhand at Tauhara Farms Ltd Partnership on Broadlands Rd at Reporoa. 

The summary said it was common for cows to temporarily be unable to stand after calving. 

Part of the treatment plan was to place hip lifters on the cow then use the farm tractor to lift the lifters and help the cow to stand. 

The summary said ideally this was done two to three times a day for about 30 minutes. If treatment was managed well, in most cases the cow would fully recover, the summary said. 

What Morris did 

On August 9 a cow became recumbent after calving and the hip lifting treatment began. 

Two days later, Morris attempted to lift the cow. Due to the cow lying on her side, Morris “inappropriately” used feed forks on the front of the tractor to manoeuvre the cow to make it easier to fit the hip lifters, the summary said. 

But while manoeuvring the cow, the prongs from the feed forks impaled the body of the cow and scrapped the hide. The cow was left with at least one puncture to the stomach and scrapes where the prongs had been pushed alongside the body. 

Morris did not administer any treatment, call a vet, or bring the injuries to management’s attention. 

The summary said Morris went home that night knowing the cow was continuing to suffer significant pain and distress from injuries. 

The following morning on August 12, Morris and another farm employee helped a cow in calving. 

After calving, the cow was not able to stand. Morris got the tractor with the hip lifters to start treatment. 

Again, he tried to manoeuvre the cow with the feed forks and impaled her. 

The injuries inflicted were significantly worse than the one from the day before, with the cow suffering at least three puncture wounds as well as scrapes from the prongs, the summary said. 

The puncture wounds included a large rump wound, a second wound to the stomach and a third to the udder. 

Morris again did not treat the injuries or get help, instead continuing with his farm duties despite knowing the cows were in pain. 

Later that morning, another farm employee found the injuries to the two cows and alerted management. 

The summary said the first cow had to be euthanised to end suffering due to a lack of response to recumbent treatment coupled with the injuries caused by Morris. 

A farm manager assessing the second cow found the rump wound was deep enough to be significant and euthanised the cow immediately. 

What should he have done? 

The summary said the use of hip lifters during calving season occurred on almost every dairy farm in New Zealand. It said it was a task regularly conducted by a single farm employee. 

Typically, a cow could be manoeuvred by hand to fit the hip lifters, then the hip lifters would be attached to the front-loadng section of the tractor so the cow could be lifted, the summary said. 

“The use of feed forks to manoeuvre a cow to apply the hip lifters is not an acceptable technique,” the summary said. 

The summary said Morris could have manually moved the cow by hand, asked for help, or removed the feed forks from the tractor and fitted a loading bucket. 

When confronted by the farm manager and later interviewed by an animal welfare inspector, Morris admitted causing the injuries. 

The charges each carry a maximum penalty of 12 months’ imprisonment, a $50,000 fine or both. 

Morris will be sentenced on October 10. 

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.