Magistrates have given a farmer from Clynderwen a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to pay costs of £2,415, after he pleaded guilty to animal welfare offences.

John Haffield, 65, of Fron Haul (Gower Villa Farm), was also disqualified from keeping any animals for a period of five years.

It follows a joint prosecution by Pembrokeshire County Council and the RSPCA, heard at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on November 29.

Haffield was charged by the Council with eight offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (Wales) Regulations 2014 and the Cattle Identification (Wales) Regulations 2007.

The Animal Welfare Act offences related to a herd of 47 Welsh Black cattle owned by Haffield and kept at Gower Villa Farm.

The court heard that between March 15 and May 10 this year, a series of 11 visits was made to the farm by animal welfare officers from Pembrokeshire County Council’s public protection section, RSPCA officers, vets, and Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) vets.

The first visit was made following a complaint about cattle roaming loose on the road. Three dead cows were discovered alongside the farm lane by the animal health officer, who asked Haffield if there were any more carcasses on the farm. He told her there were three more, and said one of them had been there for around three weeks. Another carcass was pointed out to him at the far end of the farm, with heavily pregnant ewes grazing only a few yards away.

Inspecting the rest of the farm, the officers found other cattle standing in deep slurry around the ring feeder. A calf was lying on a mound of muck in a barn and officers were unable to get it to stand up.

Haffield was issued with an Animal By-Products Notice to dispose of the dead cows without undue delay, and given 48 hours to carry this out.

Two days later, animal welfare officers returned, with a vet and an APHA vet. None of the dead cows had been removed, and a further cow had died the previous day, which was covered with black plastic. A number of cattle were in poor condition and in a depressed state. A number of horses were seen with their ribs and hips clearly visible, with some mares showing signs of being in foal.

There was very little baled feed available for the number of animals on the holding, and almost no grazing available due to the land not being managed; there were also large amounts of discarded plastic, thistles and ragwort, a plant that is toxic to livestock. The small quantity of haylage available was very difficult for the cattle to get to as the horses were driving them off to secure the feed for themselves.

A further nine visits were made to the farm over the following weeks, where the defendant was notified repeatedly of the requirements to dispose of the carcasses, ensure plenty of feed was available, seek veterinary attention for his cattle, provide proper bedding, and improve conditions in the yard. During these visits, two further rotting cattle carcasses were discovered, and two further cows died - one in calf.

On May 3, Haffield was informed of the intention to remove all the livestock from the holding under Section 18 Animal Welfare Act 2006. By now, the carcasses had been removed, but there was no noticeable improvement in the body condition of the cattle. Representatives from Tir Dewi support network were in attendance.

The entire herd of cattle was taken into the possession of Pembrokeshire County Council on May 10. The relocation of horses was commenced by the RSPCA on May 11.

Mitigating for the defendant, Aled Owen told the court that this was a sad case involving a highly respected farming family and was typical of the situation of the small farmer who can’t cope with the system of regulation, the movement of cattle and environmental matters.

Commenting after the case, Clr. Pat Davies, cabinet member for regulatory services and housing, said: “This was a very sad and difficult situation for officers from the council’s public protection animal health and welfare team, working alongside veterinary colleagues from the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the RSPCA, to deal with.

“Despite numerous visits, and significant time and effort invested over a period of months in attempting to secure essential improvements in the welfare and management of livestock and horses on site, and to ensure the removal of fallen stock, limited progress meant that the authority was left with no alternative, but to seize the animals on welfare grounds, to protect them from further unnecessary suffering, and subsequently to bring these matters before the court.

“The welfare issues, poor compliance with cattle identification and traceability requirements, and disease prevention measures, including the suitable containment and disposal of fallen stock, presented circumstances that were among the worst officers have had to contend with.

“The sentence in this case reflects the serious nature of these breaches which officers had been unable to resolve through guidance and  persuasion, and we are satisfied that the ban will in turn serve to prohibit the further acquisition of animals and risk of reoffending.

“While sadly many of the cattle seized during this operation needed to be euthanised, to have left them in a situation where protection from further suffering could not be ensured was not an option.”