Derbyshire farmer who left dead animals on farmland to rot for months is fined

A Derbyshire farmer and butcher who left dead sheep, lambs and calves on farmland to rot for months has been fined.
He has appeared in court for sentencing todayHe has appeared in court for sentencing today
He has appeared in court for sentencing today

Richard Hobday, 55, appeared at Northern Derbyshire Magistrates Court in Chesterfield today (Monday) and was fined £9,000 after being prosecuted by Derbyshire County Council’s trading standards.

Derbyshire farmer left dead animals on farmland to rotHobday, of The Mews, Alstonefield, near Ashbourne, pleaded guilty at a hearing in January to offences of failing to clear up dead, rotting, decaying sheep, lamb and calf carcasses from land at Elton Moor. Some of the remains were discovered in February 2018 but not cleared away until May.

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The law states that carcasses should be collected without undue delay under conditions which prevent risks to public and animal health.

He has appeared in court for sentencing todayHe has appeared in court for sentencing today
He has appeared in court for sentencing today

At the earlier hearing, the court was told Hobday failed to clear the dead animals despite being warned by a Derbyshire County Council trading standards officer to do so.

Hobday also admitted failing to apply eartags to two calves within 20 days of their birth in January 2018 and failure to record their births and the death of an animal in a herd register, contrary to regulations in place to ensure that livestock and ultimately food is traceable.

Hobday also pleaded guilty at the same hearing in January to a charge of failing to keep an up-to-date register for his sheep contrary to regulations in place to ensure that sheep and ultimately food is traceable.

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District Judge Taaffe today fined Hobday £1,000 for each offence, totalling £9,000, and ordered him to pay £2,290 prosecution costs and a £100 victim surcharge.

The court heard that Hobday had been facing financially challenging times.

However, District Judge Taaffe told the hearing that facing financial challenge was no excuse to ignore regulations in force to protect public safety, and that the offence had been aggravated by the fact trading standards officers had advised Hobday to clear up the dead animals and had been ignored.

The judge commented that Britain should be proud to have trading standards departments able to take action to prevent the spread of disease due to ignorance and deliberate neglect.

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Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Health and Communities Councillor Carol Hart said: “Despite being warned to clear up the dead animals, the farmer failed to do so which is unacceptable.

“We welcome this fine as it sends out a clear message to others that behaviour such as this will not be tolerated in Derbyshire, and we also welcome the recognition from the sentencing judge of the valuable work undertaken by trading standards officers.

“Leaving these dead animals for four months in a field posed a threat to public health and the health of other animals due to the potential transmission of disease. It would also have been distressing for anyone coming across such a scene.”