An elderly Welsh farmer has received a 6-month sentence, which was suspended for a year, after she pleaded guilty to being culpable of several acts of animal abuse in Llandrindod Wells Magistrates Court on Wednesday, September 25.
85-year-old Martha Heulwen Davies was prosecuted by Powys County Council’s Animal Health Team for several offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which occurred on her Moelpart farm, located just outside Foel, between January 2024 and August 2024.
Heulwen Davies was found culpable of causing undue suffering and inadequate provision of care to livestock on her farm and was consequently given a lifelong ban prohibiting any involvement or holding of livestock in the future, which will come into effect from January 1, 2025.
Magistrates also ordered the defendant to pay £1,600 costs and a victim surcharge of £154.
A series of serious offences, of which Heulwen Davies was found liable for, were described before the court, resulting in the euthanisation of many of the victim animals.
Animal abuse
These included extreme cases of flystrike whereby animals were found shaking as a result of being eaten alive by maggots, which had infested the sheep’s hides.
76 sheep were found suffering from thirst due to inadequate provision of water and 11 lambs were found in a malnourished state due to an insufficient feed and water supply.
Two sheep were discovered prostrate on the ground and left to die without feed, water or bedding and a cow and her calf were also found in chronic bodily condition.
Cllr. Richard Church, cabinet member for a Safer Powys, said: “We will not accept suffering cases like this to go unpunished.
“We welcome the sentencing by the court and this is a clear warning to the farming community that practices such as this will mean that we will apply for banning orders to prevent offenders from holding livestock.
“Our Animal Health Team rightly took the offences seriously and acted, which has resulted in this successful prosecution. If we come across similar cases to this in the future, we will prosecute.”
Following the prosecution, Powys County Council is reminding local farmers of the importance of adequate care to livestock on their farms, and the consequences of failing to do so.
