CONVICTED (2023) | serial offender Ewan David Wells, born c. 1959, of Bridge Farm, Hunningham, Leamington Spa CV33 9EB – for cruelty to sheep and cattle on his farm.
Wells, who was convicted of similar offences in 2011 and 2020, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a sheep, failing to clean out the areas where his animals were housed and failing to protect his animals from pain, suffering, injury, and disease.
The prosecution was brought by Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards.
The offences, which spanned a period between 1st March 2019 and 1st March 2022, were discovered following visits to the farm by Trading Standards Animal Health Officers and APHA Veterinary Inspectors.
One offence related to causing unnecessary suffering to a ewe and the other two to failing to take such steps as were reasonable in all the circumstances to ensure that the needs of animals for which he was responsible were met to the extent required by good practice.
The court heard that there was a heavy accumulation of muck on the farm, three feet deep in some areas, which would make it difficult for animals, including young calves to walk. In some places muck had reached the same height of the rims of water troughs leading to constant contamination of the water within.
Old, rotten hay and silage had been left at the bottom of a feed ring from which animals were seen eating and in some areas silage and fodder beets were fed from the floor where they were contaminated with faeces.
A shed containing around 200 ewes and some new born lambs had insufficient numbers of water buckets or other water provisions.
Cattle buildings were in poor repair and cattle had access to areas of the farm that had barbed wire on the floor and piles of scrap metal.
Wells’ farm was inspected after he had been prosecuted in 2020 for causing unnecessary suffering to a cow. When problems were found, the tenant farmer was given an opportunity to put things right but failed to do so.
Sentencing | 16 week custodial sentence suspended for 12 months; 15-day rehabilitation requirement; contribution of £6000 towards prosecution costs and £122 victim surcharge. Disqualified indefinitely from owning, keeping or participating in the care of any animals except domestic dogs and cats (can appeal after 28 June 2028).
The state of that farm looks very disgusting and that is absolutely no reason for it I have worked with sheep and I’ve worked on a pig farm animals should be respect