Bassetlaw farmer jailed and banned from keeping animals for life for pig cruelty

Irvin Dunn, 53, who owned Carr Farm in Misterton, pleaded guilty to two offences under the under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and one offence under the Pig (Records, Identification and Movement Order) 2011.

He was sentenced to 120 days in prison at Worksop Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Thursday).

Notts County Council’s trading standards team visited the farm on 22nd June last year to carry out a routine check.

During the inspection they found most of the housings were deep in slurry and the pigs had no access to a dry laying area and clean drinking water, the areas not flooded were covered in soil and faeces, some of the pigs were laying on top of each in an attempt to find a dry area and the pigs were not segregated so there were indications of the animals fighting.

There were also three dead pig carcasses which the live pigs were feeding off.

Following a vet’s inspection 14 of the pigs were put down.

Mortality rates at farms tend to be around 4.89 per cent for the top ten percent of farm but at its peak Carr Farm had a mortality rate of 22.5 per cent.

Nicola Schofield, trading standards manager at Notts County Council, said: “Animal cruelty on any level is wholly unacceptable and the neglect that these 200 pigs resulted in the unnecessary death of 14 of the animals and horrendous injuries for many of the others.”

“It appeared that the conditions at the farm had been very poor for sometime, meaning an abnormally high number of pigs had died before our inspection.”

“We are pleased that he has been banned from keeping animals to help avoid further unnecessary suffering.”

Anyone with concerns about the welfare of livestock or farm animals in Notts call Notts County Council on 0300 500 80 80.