A Staffordshire farmer who left his lambs to die in freezing conditions has been given a 16-week jail sentence suspended for 12-months.
Stephen Croxall, from Kingstone near Uttoxter, pleaded guilty on Monday (23 September) to breaching the animal welfare act.
Charges ranged from causing unnecessary suffering to animals to failing to record the administration of medicines.
When officers from Staffordshire County Council visited the farm on 31 December 2018, they found the animals starving and freezing to death.
One lamb was hypothermic, and another dead under a fallen gate.
A young calf was also found very vocal and thin, indicating it had not been fed or watered. Several other animals had to be put down.
The 50-year-old told the court he was tired from his full-time job as a wood cutter and that vets were too expensive.
Gill Heath, of Staffordshire County Council, said that the vast majority of farmers are 'responsible and play an important part' in the local economy.
However, this particular case was one of the 'saddest cases of animal neglect' the team had to deal with in a 'long time'.
“People who keep any kind of animal have a duty to ensure they are well cared for and kept free from harm, but Mr Croxall fell very short of this. The sheep, lambs and cattle were kept in a truly shocking state,” she said.
The court was told: “It was -3C at 11am. The land was described as white and frozen.
“There were sheep and cattle, with some sheds and caravans in the corner. Officers saw 20 bales of silage which were black and mouldy.
“There were buckets of water but these were frozen. The grass was frozen and there was no hay or straw.
“There was also an emaciated calf which must have been there for days. Officers could see its spine.”
The offences happened in Croxall’s field, in Blithbury Road, Hamstall Ridware, Rugeley.
