One person has been charged in relation to alleged cruelty to bobby calves, following investigations sparked by footage of calves being kicked and thrown released by animal rights groups last year.

Now the Ministry for Primary Industries has filed charges against an individual at the Huntly District Court under the Animal Welfare Act, in relation to an investigation into animal welfare offences involving bobby calves.

A video showing the treatment of bobby calves was released last year. File photo.

The investigation began in September 2015 when MPI received many hours of footage containing alleged offences involving bobby calves in the Waikato region.

MPI Deputy Director General Regulation and Assurance Scott Gallacher says the investigation into this matter has been careful and methodical and is ongoing.

MPI investigators are actively pursuing other lines of inquiry and, as these matters are under investigation, MPI is unable to comment any further.

Mandy Carter, head of campaigns for Save Animals From Exploitation, told SunLive the group is pleased with the action.

'We welcome these charges being laid over six months after footage was received, and hope that MPI will continue to pursue other incidents of animal abuse as shown in the footage.

'We also hope that the judiciary will impose appropriate penalties. In the past we have seen animal abusers given little more than a slap on the wrists. The people that abused animals to the point they were kicking and throwing them cannot be allowed to get away with it.”

Last year SAFE released videos filmed by animal rights group Farmwatch of bobby calves being badly treated, and launched a campaign both here and overseas, aimed it says, to inform people about what can happen to calves born to ensure cows produce milk for the New Zealand dairy farming industry.