Woodbridge farmer fined £27,000 over dead sheep discoveries

Why it matters: The case highlights serious breaches of animal welfare and livestock disposal regulations, which are designed to protect public health and maintain food chain safety.

The details: Richard William Parry, director of Woodbridge-based Mint & Mustard Produce, failed to safely dispose of dead livestock at his Gedgrave area farm between December 2022 and October 2023.

Trading Standards officers discovered:

• 13 dead sheep and a full animal by-product bin in December 2022 at Gedgrave

• Seven dead sheep and sheep bones in June 2023 at Gedgrave and Hazlewood Hall Farm, Saxmundham

• Five dead sheep and bones in October 2023 at Gedgrave, along with another full animal by-product bin

By the numbers:

• Mint & Mustard Produce was fined £10,000 plus a £2,000 victim surcharge

• Parry personally was fined £5,000 with a £2,000 victim surcharge

• He was ordered to pay an additional £8,000 in costs

• Some carcasses had been left for weeks or months, according to veterinary inspectors

What they're saying: "This was a particularly distressing case for everyone involved," said Councillor Steve Wiles, Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for public health and public protection. "Animal welfare and the disposal of dead livestock legislation is there for very good reason, to control disease, to protect animals and to ensure the safety of the food chain - these offences put all of that at risk."

The bottom line: Despite repeated warnings from Trading Standards officers throughout the period, Parry continued to breach regulations, leading to prosecution at Peterborough Magistrates Court.