CONVICTED (2019) | farmers David Davies, born 1956, and brother Evan Meirion Davies, born 1969, both of Penffynnon Farm, Bangor Teifi, Llandysul SA44 4HX – for a catalogue of appalling cruelty to cattle in their care.
Brothers David Davies, and Evan Meirion Davies admitted 13 charges of animal cruelty.
The prosecution follows a visit by animal health officers and a Animal and Plant Health Agency vet to the farm in April 2018.
Officers found 58 cattle carcasses in various states of decay in the cattle sheds and surrounding fields. The remaining cattle were housed in terrible conditions, with no food, water or dry lying area.
The vet confirmed that the cattle were being caused unnecessary suffering, and also formed the opinion that the dead cattle had also succumbed to the horrendous conditions found in the sheds, and died of neglect. The vet had to euthanise two cattle to stop further suffering during visits to the premises.
This was the worst case of animal welfare neglect seen to date by the animal health team of Ceredigion County Council, they said.
In sentencing, the magistrates acknowledged the evidence of horrendous suffering, inadequate care and poor animal husbandry displayed by both defendants to the animals.
The Cabinet member responsible for public protection, Cllr Gareth Lloyd said: “This was a truly shocking case of neglect that caused terrible suffering to so many animals. We will not hesitate to act decisively whenever we need to protect animal welfare.”
“This was an extreme case, and in no way reflects on the dedication of the overwhelming majority of Ceredigion farmers in maintaining the highest standards of care for their animals.”
Sentencing | 16 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months. Ordered to pay costs to the council of £1,500 each. Disqualified from keeping any animals of any description for five years (expires February 2024).
Ceredigion Council news
Farmers Weekly
Update December 2019
It was reported that the brothers lost their appeal against a ban on keeping animals.
They sought to appeal the initial guilty verdict despite pleading guilty earlier in the year, and they were claimed to have tried to frustrate the appeals process by securing a number of adjournments – a total\i of seven – in appeal hearings, before an eighth request to adjourn proceedings on Monday was not granted. Instead, a crown court judge decided to uphold the original judgement, referring to the case as “truly disturbing”.
Ceredigion Council admitted it had been frustrated by delays in the case, but said they were always confident that the ban initially imposed would not be overturned. Both Davies brothers appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Monday 02/12/19 to see their original sentences upheld.
The pair were ordered to pay Ceredigion Council costs of £420, on top of costs totalling £3,000 that they were ordered to pay in February.
Tivyside Advertiser
Wales Online
Update March 2020
David Davies and Evan Meirion Davies were jailed for 24 weeks breaching the court order banning them from keeping animals.
The judge partly activated the suspended sentence, and convicted them of breaching a disqualification order.
Ceredigion council prosecutor Maggie Hughes said the brothers were banned from keeping or being involved with caring for animals in February 2019, after being convicted of neglect that led to the death of 58 cows.
That disqualification was suspended while they appealed, but was eventually upheld in early December 2019. The brothers were then given until the end of December to dispose of the cattle.
After denying breaching the order, they claimed during a trial that they had sold the cattle to their brother, who farms in Carmarthenshire. They said he owned the cows and was renting their farm from them.
However, Judge Parsons dismissed the claims, saying there was no evidence that it had happened and accused the brothers of a “serious breach” of the court order.
He added: “This court wasn’t born yesterday. The entire story is a fiction.
“It’s a device intended to ignore the requirements of the disqualification.
“They have refused to accept the authority of the court in terms of the disqualification.”
After jailing the brothers, Judge Parsons also ordered them to pay £425 each toward prosecution costs, as well as surcharge of £122.
Following the sentence, Cllr Gareth Lloyd, Ceredigion council’s Cabinet member for finance and public protection, said: “Both brothers have persistently disregarded a court order banning them from keeping animals.
“The scenes witnessed by council staff, vets, police officers and contactors at the time were horrific.”