AN elderly farmer who was banned from keeping cows and pigs for 10 years was caught feeding cattle six miles from his farm.

A court heard that Keith Barber, aged 71, of Joys Green, Lydbrook, had “gone to great lengths” to flout a ban imposed a year ago for keeping cows and pigs in appalling conditions.

Barber admitted breaching the ban when he appeared before Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court last Friday (March 6) and was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £2,300.

In February 2019, he was banned for 10 years after livestock at his Joys Green farm was found mired in deep muck with nowhere dry to lie down.

Some of the cows had extensive hair loss and many were very thin, while a dead calf and dead pigs were also found on the premises.

Gloucestershire trading standards investigators were particularly concerned that one pig carcass had been there for so long that only the skeleton remained. 

Cattle were also seen eating plastic wrapping from their fodder when no other food was available, and when food was provided, space at the trough was so tight cattle were seen jostling each other as they fought to get to the feed. 

Magistrates were also told a year ago that sows and piglets were kept in a shed with high ammonia levels and had no access to clean drinking water, while other pigs had no water or dry lying area.

They said Barber had a “cavalier attitude towards the welfare of his animals” and banned him from any involvement at all in the keeping of pigs and cattle for 10 years under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

But despite being banned and sentenced to 18 weeks in prison suspended for two years wih financial penalties of £2,615, he flouted the disqualification and continued to keep cattle.

The district judge hearing the case decided not to activate the suspended jail sentence as Barber was only feeding the animals to help his son who was the owner.

The court heard last week that animal health inspectors from trading standards launched an investigation after receiving information that Barber was still feeding and keeping the livestock.

Surveillance of the land where the cattle were kept was carried out and a breakthrough came when there was no longer any grass in the field for the animals to eat and Barber arrived on a regular basis to feed them hay.

Gloucestershire county councillor Dave Norman, cabinet member responsible for trading standards, said after the hearing: “Keith Barber was fully aware of the disqualification order and its implication and went to great lengths to carry on farming.

“Today’s prosecution sends out a clear message to anyone who is disqualified from keeping stock that we will not tolerate individuals who breach these orders and think that they can pull the wool over our eyes as to who is really keeping the stock.”

Barber admitted eight cases of breaching the ban.

Animal health inspectors had originally visited Barber’s farm in April 2018 after a tip off from a member of the public, and found cattle and pigs kept in unsatisfactory conditions.

They called vets from the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) and returned to the premises the following day when Barber was advised of actions needed to make sure the welfare needs of his animals were met.

An APHA vet and a trading standards inspector visited the farm over the next few months to check on the welfare of the animals, but although limited improvements were made to reduce ammonia levels in the sow shed, animals were still found without any access to dry bedding.

Pigs were also found without water and living in pens which were smaller than the minimum requirements in breach of animal welfare legislation.

Barber also failed to apply ear tags to calves within 20 days of their birth, despite being advised several times by trading standards that this was a legal requirement and vital to ensure consumer confidence in British beef and the integrity of the human food chain.