Council prosecutes farmer for causing unnecessary suffering to livestock

A farmer has been prosecuted for causing unnecessary suffering and failing to provide adequate care to sheep and cattle on her farm.

The defendant from north Powys pleaded guilty to several offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and received a 24-week prison sentence, suspended for year, at Llandrindod Wells Magistrates Court on Wednesday (September 25) .

The farmer was also banned from being involved with livestock including the keeping of and dealing with livestock in any way.

The banning order comes in on 1 January 2025 to give the defendant three months to dispose of her livestock.

Magistrates also ordered the defendant to pay £1,600 costs and a victim surcharge of £154.

The court heard that some animals were suffering with extreme cases of flystrike, where animals were shaking from being eaten alive by the spawn from flies which had infested into the skin of sheep.

76 sheep were left with thirst due to the insufficient provision of water and 11 lambs were left malnourished with chronic body conditions due to insufficient sufficient feed and fresh water.

A cow and its calf were not provided with sufficient dry-ling and two sheep were found in a recumbent state and left to die without water, feed and bedding.

Adequate care

A reminder has now been issued by Powys County Council’s Animal Health Team to farmers on providing adequate care to livestock.

Cllr Richard Church, Cabinet Member for a Safer Powys, said: “We will not accept suffering cases like this to go unpunished.

“We welcome the sentencing by the court and this is a clear warning to the farming community that practices such as this will mean that we will apply for banning orders to prevent offenders from holding livestock.

“Our Animal Health Team rightly took the offences seriously and acted, which has resulted in this successful prosecution. If we come across similar cases to this in the future, we will prosecute.”