A Taranaki contract milker cut teats off 12 cows by placing rubber rings on them and slicing them off with scissors. "He said the lacerations were already causing the cows pain and he didn't believe his actions caused them any more pain." Claudio Da Costa, 47, told Ministry for Primary Industries investigators he cut them off with scissors because it was a 'quick and cheap fix for the problem'. Da Costa was convicted and fined $3,750 when he appeared in the New Plymouth District Court today. He says Da Costa admitted removing the teats by placing a rubber ring on them and cutting them off two days later with a pair of scissors.

Source: New Zealand Herald July 14, 2016 03:56 UTC