Farmer Convicted of Abuse After 210 Cows Found With Broken Tails
In New Zealand, 210 cows were found with broken tails. Experts note that the pain experienced by the cows was “akin to a person having their fingers broken.”
Warren Arthur McNabb was fined $15,000 and banned for six months from having any involvement with cows used for milk.
Ministry for Primary Industries inspectors and a veterinarian noticed the cows last year during a routine inspection of McNabb’s farms—which house 446 cows in total. Inspectors found 20 cows with multiple breaks and 15 with “fresh” breaks that had occurred within the previous three months.
The veterinarian said that he had never seen this level of cruelty to animals before and that the severity of the breaks indicated “prolonged animal abuse.” During the court hearing, one witness reported seeing McNabb bend a cow’s tail into a “U-shape” before it finally broke. Experts noted that the pain experienced by the cows was “akin to a person having their fingers broken.”
This abuse is horrific but far from unheard of. Since 2013, at least four other farmers in New Zealand have been convicted of similar crimes, including one who was sentenced to four months of community detention for breaking the tails of 48 cows earlier this year.
Dairy Industry: Misery for Cows
Given the chance, cows nurture their young and form lifelong friendships. They play games and have a wide variety of emotions and personality traits. But most cows raised for the dairy industry are intensively confined, leaving them unable to fulfill their most basic desires, such as nursing their calves, even for a single day.
You can help put an end to these atrocities.
The best way to save cows from the misery of dairy farms is to stop buying milk and other dairy foods. There are many delicious nondairy items on the market, and they’re a whole lot healthier for you, too! And since you’re ditching dairy foods, why not save more than 100 animals a year by going vegan today?