THE Environment Agency and Trading Standards have jointly prosecuted a Honiton man for allowing appalling animal health and environmental conditions to persist at his farm.

David Rosewell, of Crook Farm, Combe Raleigh, Honiton, East Devon appeared before Exeter Magistrates Court on Wednesday, October 29 and pleaded guilty to the offences.

In a case described by District Judge Smith as “shocking” and “reading like the script of a horror movie”, Rosewell was sentenced to 18 weeks in custody suspended for 12 months with a condition that he completes 150 hours of unpaid work.

He was also disqualified from owning, keeping, or participating in keeping all livestock for life with a five-year minimum period before this ban could be brought before the court for consideration again. Costs were awarded in full totalling £18,251 to be paid within six months.

The court heard the farm had been subject to several EA visits during 2022 and 2023 regarding the mismanagement of slurry causing a high risk of a pollution incident.

Joint inspections took place with the EA, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Local Authority Trading Standards in March 2024 to investigate the livestock welfare and pollution issues. Officers witnessed domestic waste, scrap metal, broken concrete and abandoned vehicles. Deep slurry filled farm buildings and yards. Among this were many decomposing cattle carcasses. More animal bones and carcasses were found around the fields.

Cattle had nowhere dry to lie with all the sheds full of slurry. They were kept outdoors in winter in waterlogged conditions with very little to eat. Many were emaciated and some required veterinary treatment.

Animals that were sick or starving were left to die. Live animals were living and grazing amongst carcasses and hazardous debris. One young calf whose mother had died was lying in a yard of slurry and household litter.

Rosewell was instructed to provide treatment or seek euthanasia for his sick animals. He was told to immediately provide additional feed for the cattle, to prevent access to hazards and to remove all carcasses without delay.

Further visits in 2024 showed Rosewell had not followed the instructions to rectify the dreadful state of animal health and welfare. There was no control of breeding. Sick animals were not being treated and there were inadequate supplies of food for winter.

In March 2024, Rosewell was issued with the Anti-Pollution Works Notice (APWN) by the Environment Agency. The notice required the removal of slurry from the yards and buildings, and repairs to the roofs and gutters of the farm buildings.

A spokesperson for the Animal and Plant Health Agency said: “This case is one of the worst examples of farm animal suffering and neglect. The sentence from the court is welcomed.”

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Despite being given many opportunities to address the significant problems on farm with slurry and waste management, Rosewell repeatedly failed to take any action.

“He disregarded the law and posed a significant pollution risk locally. This was a shocking case where we had no option but to prosecute.”