Dead and Dying Lambs Led to Prosecution
Miss Mary Bloxsome of Loxley Close, Wellesbourne has been successfully prosecuted and fined £300 after several of her lambs were discovered dead and dying. Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards Service brought the prosecution.
A Trading Standards Animal Health Officer, acting on information received from DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), visited a field in which Miss Bloxsome kept a number of sheep of different breeds located in Alderminster nr Stratford upon Avon on 22nd November 2005.
Three Jacobs cross lambs had been discovered in the field. Two of the lambs were found dying and the other was already dead. There was no grazing in the field, a single food container contained a small amount of sugar beet nuts but these smaller Jacobs cross lambs could not reach the hay in the hayrack. The DEFRA vet who was also in attendance found the two living lambs to be emaciated and close to death. These two animals were euthanased humanely.
A post mortem revealed that the three lambs all had heavy worm burdens. They would have taken weeks to arrive at the poor physical state they were in and a competent stock person would have noted the progressive weight loss and failure to thrive and would have taken steps to remedy the situation.
Anthea Davies, Assistant Head of Warwickshire Trading Standards Service said:
‘Farm animals must be properly cared for throughout their lives; it is not enough simply to put them in a field and leave them to fend for themselves.
We will investigate all cases where the welfare of such animals is brought into question and livestock keepers will end up in court where appropriate. In some cases court action could result in a ban from keeping livestock as well as having a fine to pay.’
In the case, brought by Warwickshire Trading Standards Service, at Leamington Magistrates Court on 22nd June 2006, Miss Bloxsome pleaded guilty to one summons under the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968 of causing unnecessary distress to 3 Jacobs cross lambs.
In mitigation Miss Bloxsome sent in a letter to the Magistrates in which she apologised for having allowed the animals to suffer. She stated that she had now bought a different sheep feeder and had befriended a local farmer who could help her if she was in difficulties.
The Magistrates fined Miss Bloxsome £300 and ordered her to pay a contribution of £200 towards the Prosecution’s costs. They stated that their starting point was a community penalty but had taken into account Miss Bloxsome’s guilty plea and personal mitigation and the fact that she had no previous convictions. The fine was much reduced because of her financial circumstances.