Farmer receives 25-year ban and nine month suspended prison sentence for animal abuse

A County Antrim farmer has received a nine month suspended prison sentence after he was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to his livestock.

He has caused unnecessary suffering of 11 cattle, one charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a sheep, three charges of failure to dispose of animal carcasses and three charges of failure to comply with an animal by-product requirement.

48-year-old James Steele of Crumlin has been disqualified from owning, keeping and participating in keeping farm animals for 25 years.

He was also sentenced to nine months imprisonment suspended for four years at Antrim Crown Court.

This case arose from a number of welfare inspections carried out by Government Officers on James Steele’s farm between September 2015 and January 2016.

Previous animal welfare convictions

The farmer was known to the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Department (DAERA) because of previous animal welfare convictions and therefore the situation on his farm was being monitored closely.

At these inspections, officers found dead cattle and sheep which James Steele had failed to dispose of. They also had to euthanize a number of cattle and sheep to prevent any further suffering.

DAERA was granted a deprivation order under the Welfare of Animals (NI) Act 2011 in January 2016, this order allowed the Department to remove the remaining cattle from Mr Steele’s possession.

Speaking after today’s sentencing, Danny Gray from DAERA’s Welfare and Enforcement branch said: “This is the first time the Department has had to take an animal welfare prosecution to the Crown Court due to James Steele’s continuing and inexcusable disregard for the care of his animals.

“Today’s sentencing underlines how serious DAERA is about pursuing those who continue to break the law relating to animal welfare.”