Grazier may face action

A group of Waikato farmers who say they received emaciated stock back from a Waikato grazier last season are considering legal action.

The group, who complained to Waikato Federated Farmers in November, are taking legal advice on the case, according to Dairy Industry Group chairman James Houghton.

Federated Farmers had not taken sides in the case, but provided the group with details of a lawyer experienced in the area, he said.

Mr Houghton said the case, coupled with the declaration of a medium-level drought, served as a timely reminder to farmers to check stock sent to graziers every 10 days to two weeks.

"I looked at mine three weeks ago and the animals had gone off a little bit," Mr Houghton said.

"Normally it's the grazier's obligation to get the animals up to speed. How they do it is up to them."

Mr Houghton said some graziers would try to charge farmers to view their stock, but he did not think that was acceptable.

Reputable grazier Richard Strang, who grazes 500 dairy heifers for other farmers on his Putaruru farm, agreed with Mr Houghton.

"If I have got someone else's cattle on my property it's my responsibility to provide supplementary feed for them," he said.

He said he had no objections to farmers viewing their stock, so long as they contacted him first.

Ian Wickham, managing director of the New Zealand Grazing Co, which grazes thousands of animals on scores of Waikato farms, didn't have much sympathy for farmers who did not have enough feed.

He said his company always forward planned for a drought and had plenty of feed this season.

"We don't have any issues at all," Mr Wickham said. "We have taken the appropriate management steps to ensure that all the cattle are well fed and it's going well.

"Farmers expect to have no food available if it does not rain."

He had no issues with farmers visiting their stock regularly, as Mr Houghton suggested.

"The dairy farmer is welcome to come and see his cattle any time so long as he contacts the company and we take him there. I don't think it's fair to a grazier to have someone turn up unannounced."

- © Fairfax NZ News