A man who cruelly mistreated bobby calves will now serve jail time after originally being sentenced to home detention.
Noel Erickson (38) was secretly filmed kicking, hitting and throwing bobby calves while working as a casual slaughterman at pet food business Down Cow in Waikato.
He was sentenced to 10 months' home detention and 200 hours community work in July this year.
The sentence was appealed by the Ministry for Primary Industries, which said it was inadequate.
The home detention sentence was quashed in the High Court at Hamilton today, and Erickson will now serve two years in prison.
Erickson had completed three months of his 10-month home detention sentence.
Judge Patricia Courtney said the original decision took into account Erickson's lack of training and supervision, but that his culpability was not "markedly" less because of this.
"It was simply a cruel disregard for the animals' welfare.
"It is undeniable that Mr Erickson's offending was callous and brutal and caused suffering to very young and vulnerable animals."
The abuse was brought to light after Farmwatch secretly filmed Erickson in a hidden camera sting.
The Ministry for Primary Industries launched a probe last September following release of the footage.
