Farmer banned from keeping cattle after cruelty case

Farmer Brian Pitman, aged 61, of Canford Bottom, was found guilty of 13 offences after a five-day trial at Bournemouth Magistrates Court.

He was guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a cow found collapsed and underfed and of failing to provide sufficient feed to the herd as well as failing to care for ill or injured animals.

The case was brought by Dorset County Council after an investigation by trading standards and animal health officers more than a year ago.

Officers seized the herd from Uppington Farm in Chalbury in November 2010.

During the trial the court heard expert evidence from the government’s Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) which concluded that Mr Pitman had failed to feed or care adequately for sick animals, leaving them thin and in poor condition.

They said while there was some evidence of him feeding his herd on a regular basis the quality and quantity of feed was not sufficient to sustain healthy animals.

Ivan Hancock, trading standards service manager for Dorset County Council welcomed the ban.

He said: “It is very unusual to find a livestock farmer who is so resistant to attempts to help manage animal welfare issues, and to fail to recognise the problems being caused.”

Mr Pitman has continually failed to cooperate with the county council and the courts, meaning delays resulted in bringing the matters to trial.

“This prosecution and seizure of livestock from Mr Pitman follows on from a very similar incident in 2009, for which he was also prosecuted, so the disqualification against him keeping cattle must be welcomed.”

He added: “We would encourage any farmer facing animal health and welfare problems to contact us and not wait for issues to escalate.”

Pitman was sentenced with a community order subjecting him to a night time curfew for eight weeks.

He was ordered to pay fines of £300 and costs of £200.