Sentencing — animal cruelty — Animal Welfare Act 1999 — farming. The defendant appeared for sentence having pleaded guilty to four charges under the Animal Welfare Act. The charges related to the defendant's bull farm, that homed approximately 250 to 300 bulls. The defendant was reported to the Ministry of Primary Industries out of concern for the condition of some of the defendant's stock. Inspectors found that about two-thrids of the stock were in poor body condition, 20 animals were emaciated (a condition that would have taken between two and three months to reach), 8 bulls were found dead on the property, and another had a broken leg and had to be euthanised. It was also found that a number of animals were not getting sufficient water. The Judge adopted a starting point of $10,000 in fines. A discount of 25 per cent was granted for the defendant's mitigating factors and a further 25 per cent for his early guilty plea, bringing the end sentence to $5,000, $130 in Court cost and $1108.20 in veterinarian fees. The sentence was all attached under one charging document, meaning for the remaining three charges the defendant was convicted and discharged. Judgment Date: 20 March 2019.