His guilty plea came just two days into his trial last week at the Palmerston North District court: it was alleged that Kuriger caused animals prolonged and severe pain.

The offences were said to have taken place on a farm that Tony and his father Louis Kuriger were involved in running in 2016-17. When Tony pleaded guilty, the charges against his father were dropped.

Veterinarians told the court that cows on the property that the Kuriger farmed near Eketahuna in the Tararua District were subjected to prolonged suffering due to chronic foot problems and weren’t properly treated. In total 74 cows were treated for lameness and 25 were euthanised.

The Kurigers claimed they did all they could to stop the suffering. Kuriger and Oxbow Dairies will be sentenced  at the end of April.

His mother and MP Barbara Kuriger has been involved in a dairy industry for many years and is a former director of DairyNZ. She was named Dairy Woman of the Year in 2012.