Dartmoor dairy farm banned for animal neglect

A family who ran a Dartmoor dairy farm have been banned from keeping animals for ten years due to chronic neglect of their cattle.

William Dunn, 50, of East Barton Farm, Exbourne, Devon, admitted 22 food hygiene offences and 24 animal welfare charges at Exeter Magistrates' Court.

His parents Rosamund Dunn, 76, and Edmund Dunn, 79, admitted ten animal welfare charges.

District judge Stuart Smith said the hygiene concerns at their milk parlour risked the health of the public who bought their milk products.

He added that animal carcasses were found around the farms, lame and emaciated cows had to be euthanised by vets, animals were never treated for their ailments and they were living in hazardous conditions on the farm.

The judge said animals were surrounded by rubbish, including pipes, gas canisters, cables, metal sheets and old tyres as they tried to get to water and feed.

He said one carcass was buried in mud and had been there for days or weeks.

Another dead cow was lying in a slurry channel risking contamination of the water courses.

Prosecutor Herc Ashworth said William Dunn was 'overwhelmed' by the task and despite getting plenty of advice and support, things just got worse.

The defence lawyer said these were 'distressing and serious offences' and claimed the family were struggling to recover from Covid when staff were laid off and costs increased by £25,000 a month.

The lawyer said: "William Dunn was a one man band. It was a large farm operation with one person to manage the whole thing."

The Dunns admitted a number of offences in the prosecutions brought by Trading Standards and the Food Standards Agency.

They have been given three months to sell their 170 strong herd owned by the Dunn parents, with William Dunn running the farms.

The parents were also fined £3,053 each and William Dunn was fined a total of £27,000.

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