A Staffordshire farmer has been sentenced to 27 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, for breaking TB rules and keeping inaccurate records.
John Sadler, 53, of Cannock Road, Great Wyrley, was sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on Monday (19 August) after pleading guilty to failing to dispose of animal carcasses and failing to register cattle on his holding.
Mr Sadler was also found guilty of fraud by misrepresentation by giving calves false dates of birth, failing to present 61 cattle for TB testing, failing to register cattle deaths on his farm and failing to produce a herd register to an inspector when requested.
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When Staffordshire County Council’s animal health officers visited Mr Sadler’s farm in January 2018, they found the carcasses of four sheep and multiple bones from other dead farm animals that had not been disposed of correctly.
A large number of cattle had no identification and were not registered as being on the farm with the British Cattle Movement Service.
Mr Sadler could not produce either the cattle passports or the herd register and subsequent enquiries revealed he had attempted to register some of the cattle, but had given them a false date of birth.
It was discovered that 61 cattle had not been presented for their TB test and more than 50% of the herd remained untested at the time of the visit. The last time the full herd was tested was in 2013.
Mr Sadler was fined a total of £6,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,500.
