Andover Farmer Fined For Letting Sheep Graze Near Carcasses

17 January 2019, 16:22 | Updated: 17 January 2019, 16:26

A farmer's been banned from keeping sheep for three years for letting his animals live in dangerous conditions near Andover.

Michael Tennick from Salisbury Road, who kept a sheep in a field littered with carcasses, has been found guilty of six offences under animal health and welfare legislation. He has been disqualified from keeping sheep for three years, and faces fines totalling £1,500 as well as court costs.

It follows an investigation by Hampshire County Council Trading Standards Team. 

Council leader Roy Perry, said: 

“The health and welfare of animals is something that our Trading Standards Team, and the courts, take very seriously. I am very pleased that the perpetrator responsible for the terrible conditions these animals have endured has been brought to justice. 

"Not only did he fail to safeguard the welfare of his own animals – he also put the wider farming community, and public health, at risk, through his lack of regard for disease control measures.

“Farming is important to Hampshire’s rural economy, and the vast majority of people keeping livestock are doing so in a humane and ethical way, with high standards of welfare and disease control. 

"The County Council is keen to support those who are working hard to get it right – and that includes finding and stopping those few who are not doing so.”

The investigation by Hampshire Trading Standards followed a complaint by a member of public, about a sick sheep they had seen in a paddock. An in-depth investigation uncovered failures to comply with regulations to prevent disease, disposal requirements which can pose a health risk and further offences relating to the traceability of animals in the event of disease outbreak.

Councillor Perry added: “I would like to pay tribute to our team of Trading Standards officers. It is largely thanks to their tenacity that this flagrant disregard for public health, and also for the health and wellbeing of animals, has been brought to justice.”