December 15, 2025
Mid Canterbury farmers were “horrified” by the news of two Ashburton workers who skinned a cow alive and streamed the ordeal on Facebook, a industry representative has said.
Russell Mamites Galeos, 33 and Argie Valarde Villa, 34, were convicted and fined under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 in the Christchurch District Court.
The two men recorded themselves skinning a dairy cow which had allegedly been “euthanised,” but made “noisy, snore-like” sounds as it was butchered.
While proof of the cow’s suffering could not be determined, Judge Tony Couch ruled that the men had failed to minimise unnecessary or unreasonable pain or distress.
Federated Farmers Sharefarmer chairperson and Filipino Dairy Workers NZ chairperson Kristine Asuncion was “disappointed” to learn of “an animal being treated so inhumanely”.
“I’ve been farming for over a decade and I’ve never seen anything like that before. It’s totally unacceptable, indefensible, and needs to be called out strongly.”
“This kind of behaviour definitely isn’t common practice in the Philippines,” Asuncion said.
“This would be considered very poor practice just like it is here in New Zealand.
“I’ve spoken to so many local Filipino farmers about this incident and every single one of them has been just as disappointed, frustrated and disgusted as our Kiwi neighbours.”
She was not concerned that this case would impact the relationships of other Filipino farmers in the district.
“Filipino farmers are a hugely valued and respected part of our rural communities; Those farmer’s reputations shouldn’t be unfairly tarnished by the actions of [individuals] who [have] made a very poor decision and broken the law.
“We all have a shared responsibility to protect animals, to understand and meet our high animal welfare standards, and maintain strong public trust in farming.”
The Guardian reported in January on the farm manager, who cannot be named, that allegedly euthanised the cow.
Lawyer Grant Fletcher told Judge Dominic Dravitzki the cow’s throat was slit before it was shot in the head with a .22 magnum rifle – “which isn't exactly a high power rifle,” Fletcher said, to kill it.
The defendant will undergo a multi-day judge alone trial next March.
Mid Canterbury farmers were “horrified” by the news of two Ashburton workers who skinned a cow alive and streamed the ordeal on Facebook, a industry representative has said.
Russell Mamites Galeos, 33 and Argie Valarde Villa, 34, were convicted and fined under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 in the Christchurch District Court.
The two men recorded themselves skinning a dairy cow which had allegedly been “euthanised,” but made “noisy, snore-like” sounds as it was butchered.
While proof of the cow’s suffering could not be determined, Judge Tony Couch ruled that the men had failed to minimise unnecessary or unreasonable pain or distress.
Federated Farmers Sharefarmer chairperson and Filipino Dairy Workers NZ chairperson Kristine Asuncion was “disappointed” to learn of “an animal being treated so inhumanely”.
“I’ve been farming for over a decade and I’ve never seen anything like that before. It’s totally unacceptable, indefensible, and needs to be called out strongly.”
“This kind of behaviour definitely isn’t common practice in the Philippines,” Asuncion said.
“This would be considered very poor practice just like it is here in New Zealand.
“I’ve spoken to so many local Filipino farmers about this incident and every single one of them has been just as disappointed, frustrated and disgusted as our Kiwi neighbours.”
She was not concerned that this case would impact the relationships of other Filipino farmers in the district.
“Filipino farmers are a hugely valued and respected part of our rural communities; Those farmer’s reputations shouldn’t be unfairly tarnished by the actions of [individuals] who [have] made a very poor decision and broken the law.
“We all have a shared responsibility to protect animals, to understand and meet our high animal welfare standards, and maintain strong public trust in farming.”
The Guardian reported in January on the farm manager, who cannot be named, that allegedly euthanised the cow.
Lawyer Grant Fletcher told Judge Dominic Dravitzki the cow’s throat was slit before it was shot in the head with a .22 magnum rifle – “which isn't exactly a high power rifle,” Fletcher said, to kill it.
The defendant will undergo a multi-day judge alone trial next March.
