A South Auckland poultry farmer has been jailed for a year for causing suffering to thousands of animals kept in what were described as filthy and inhumane conditions.

 Papakura farmer Gerard Francis van den Bogaart is banned from owning hens for 10 years, after pleading guilty to animal welfare and food safety charges.

He appeared in Papakura District Court on Tuesday charged with willful ill-treatment of hens and unlawful slaughter of poultry. More than 1,000 birds were put down and thousands more relocated to other facilities after a raid of his two properties in 2008. In addition, 100,000 eggs were seized.

The Food Safety Authority says the birds were kept in filthy, inhumane conditions, putting consumers at risk of harmful bacteria.

SPCA national president Bob Kerridge says the convicted farmer was a repeat offender who repeatedly failed to show any concern for the welfare of his animals.