Dead sheep

[LJT]

Hello,

I'm not a farmer and I have no idea if this is normal so i wondered if anyone can advise. On a run through the English countryside yesterday, through fields and fields of sheep (sticking to public footpath alongside a river), I got completely lost. I hopped a gate to try and make it back to the road I know. After hopping the gate right next to the public footpath and river I saw a large pile of at least 8 dead rotting sheep covered in flies. Some of them had been burned like it was a failed bonfire. But some were just rotting. All around this pile were grazing sheep that were still alive. Is this normal? Surely this is not healthy for the sheep still alive or the wildlife in that area? Can anyone tell me who I should report it to? Or should i even report it? I wrote down the location and I know which farm it is.

 

[Kidds]

No it is not normal and it is far from good practice but no point in reporting it because there is very little/nothing that can possibly be achieved by doing so. Sheep die for all sorts of reasons often beyond the control of the farmer.

You will likely be called all sorts for even suggesting it on here. I am not a livestock farmer so am not trying to defend anything, just suggesting the best course of action for you.

 

[Tim W]

Local authority should have an animal welfare team usually found under Trading Standards
Report it immediately --it is not good practice to leave dead animals lying around

 

[Pan mixer]

As a livestock farmer I would probably have a word with the farmer unless i knew that would do no good.

It doesn't do any farmers reputation any good to have this sort of thing going on, at worst a public health hazard, at best illegal.

Report it.

 

[topground]

Joined today and a first post says it all really so beware the motives.
Since most people seem to carry a smart phone these days a photo added to the post would have given it some credibility.

 

[LJT]

Joined today and a first post says it all really so beware the motives.
Since most people seem to carry a smart phone these days a photo added to the post would have given it some credibility.

Hello, I joined Today explicitly to ask about what I saw. I don't carry a phone when I run, I wear a watch. Genuinely interested to know if a pile of dead sheep is normal, motive would be welfare of animals and wildlife I guess. Cheers

 

[milkloss]

Hello, I joined Today explicitly to ask about what I saw. I don't carry a phone when I run, I wear a watch. Genuinely interested to know if a pile of dead sheep is normal, motive would be welfare of animals and wildlife I guess. Cheers

Well it does happen..... lightening strike will suddenly kill quite a few in one shot as an example. If you're farming several thousand sheep the weather can even encourage disease and cause a blip in deaths.
But they shouldn't be piled up and left to rot for an unreasonable period of time and certainly bad practice, if not illegal, for them to be stored in the same area as livestock whilst awaiting collection. It is possible they are waiting for collection but as I said it's odd place to leave them.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

Hello, I joined Today explicitly to ask about what I saw. I don't carry a phone when I run, I wear a watch. Genuinely interested to know if a pile of dead sheep is normal, motive would be welfare of animals and wildlife I guess. Cheers

Not normal. I've never seen it.
I would worry about welfare with respect to why so many sheep had died but as long as there was no risk of polluting water or the carcases being diseased, allowing them to decay in the open would be an absolute boon for animals and wildlife. I rather suspect that the massive decline in invertebrates could be linked to the lack of corpses being left to decay naturally.

 

[neilo]

Not normal. I've never seen it.
I would worry about welfare with respect to why so many sheep had died but as long as there was no risk of polluting water or the carcases being diseased, allowing them to decay in the open would be an absolute boon for animals and wildlife. I rather suspect that the massive decline in invertebrates could be linked to the lack of corpses being left to decay naturally.

^This. Whilst against the current regs, and plenty will jump up and down about a supposed health hazard, what happens to dead animals in 'the wild'? What will happen to them in those areas of the UK that London wants to rewild?

I wouldn't do it here (too many footpaths anyway), but obviously the farmer should have wrapped barbed wire round the top bar of the gate.

 

[Highland Mule]

Can anyone tell me who I should report it to?

Tell the farmer, give him/her a couple of days to get it sorted and then either (if safe and doesn't require trespass) check back for your own satisfaction or just forget about it.

Farmers aren't allowed to bury fallen stock and sadly stock do fall. The fallen stock companies don't come every day, so there does tend to be a short delay for pickup of carcasses. Burning sounds like it could be lightning, which would also aligns with them rotting quickly (you don't get rigor mortis after lightning deaths). It's been a tough year for sheep and shepherd, so best to have some compassion when dealing with what is a sensitive issue.

 

[Hfd Cattle]

If they are in a heap then I would suggest possible theft for meat and remains dumped by perpetrators.
Visit local farmers and explain.
If no joy then police is your next t port of call

 

[Ffermer Bach]

leaving dead animals in a field is against the laws of man, however, animals have been dying since the first animals existed. My great grandfather was the first person to have a vehicle for a business in Pembrokeshire, about 110 years ago, so driving round in a vehicle picking up dead animals is a relatively recent thing. It seems very important that we burn fossil fuels to drive round and pick up dead stock, to use more fossil fuels to burn them, then I guess take the ash (and use more fossil fuels) to bury it in a landfill. I am sure nature is quite happy for an animal to be eaten/rot in the field and I think the following would be very pleased:

*Red Kite
*Buzzard
*Crow
*Herring Gull
*Fox
*Badger
*other insects
*soil biome

of course our current culture can not stand to realise animals (and us) all die, however, our present culture is more than happy to allow it's young to spend a lot of energy pretending to kill each other on computer games!

So against the laws of man - yes, against the laws of nature - no.

 

[ollie989898]

Multiple dead sheep in a heap in a field just isn't on, report to local authority/trading standards immediately. I would not even bother tracking down the landowner or farmer.

 

[Highland Mule]

Multiple dead sheep in a heap in a field just isn't on, report to local authority/trading standards immediately. I would not even bother tracking down the landowner or farmer.

I found six of mine lying in a heap under a tree once, killed by lightning. The insurance company wouldn't let me move them until the vet had been (next day), then the falling stock company was the day after. I'd be very disappointed if a tresspassing member of the public had reported me to the local authority in the meantime.

 

[ollie989898]

I found six of mine lying in a heap under a tree once, killed by lightning. The insurance company wouldn't let me move them until the vet had been (next day), then the falling stock company was the day after. I'd be very disappointed if a tresspassing member of the public had reported me to the local authority in the meantime.

If was anywhere on the UK and happened across a heap of dead livestock I would definitely report it to the authorities, believe me. There may be no way of knowing whose land it is or whose animals they are, much less where they live or their contact details. I'd report it to trading standards and they will investigate. I'm not saying that in doing so I would do it with malicious intent or any of the above and if the farmer in question had nothing to hide then he would have nothing to fear from trading standards, either.

 

[Highland Mule]

If was anywhere on the UK and happened across a heap of dead livestock I would definitely report it to the authorities, believe me. There may be no way of knowing whose land it is or whose animals they are, much less where they live or their contact details. I'd report it to trading standards and they will investigate. I'm not saying that in doing so I would do it with malicious intent or any of the above and if the farmer in question had nothing to hide then he would have nothing to fear from trading standards, either.

The OP knows which farm they belonged to and stated that in her first post. If it was anything close to as I experienced, then it would be incredibly stressful and who knows what a 'nothing to fear' visit would do to the farmer's mental health - it could be enough to tip them over the edge. As a supposed medical person, I'm disappointed with your lack of compassion on such matters Ollie. Sure we all need to be held to account, but there are times and places to act sensibly rather than officiously.

 

[Hfd Cattle]

The OP knows which farm they belonged to and stated that in her first post. If it was anything close to as I experienced, then it would be incredibly stressful and who knows what a 'nothing to fear' visit would do to the farmer's mental health - it could be enough to tip them over the edge. As a supposed medical person, I'm disappointed with your lack of compassion on such matters Ollie. Sure we all need to be held to account, but there are times and places to act sensibly rather than officiously.

Well said !!

 

[ollie989898]

The OP knows which farm they belonged to and stated that in her first post. If it was anything close to as I experienced, then it would be incredibly stressful and who knows what a 'nothing to fear' visit would do to the farmer's mental health - it could be enough to tip them over the edge. As a supposed medical person, I'm disappointed with your lack of compassion on such matters Ollie. Sure we all need to be held to account, but there are times and places to act sensibly rather than officiously.

On the contrary, I have plenty of compassion but also equal concern. A heap of dead livestock left in one place would concern me a great deal. If I knew the farmer or had some idea of where they lived I would probably start at their front door but failing that I would consider it the duty of any and all rural people to report such a thing. Firstly, because it is very bad thing for the public to see and casts a dark shadow over the entire industry. Secondly, because it has obvious animal welfare concerns attached to it and thirdly because with some of these cases there is undoubtedly a possible mental health issue in play.

As I said, I would not consider someone contacting the authorities as having malicious intent or automatically be trying to place blame. As you say, it could have happened from natural circumstances, but even so it needs dealing with pronto.

If I could draw the forum's attention to this part of the OP: large pile of at least 8 dead rotting sheep covered in flies. Some of them had been burned like it was a failed bonfire. But some were just rotting. All around this pile were grazing sheep that were still alive

Which part of this does not ring serious alarm bells here? This doesn't sound like a lightning strike to me.

 

[betweenthelines]

"On a run through the English Countryside" Does anyone speak or write like that? You'd put a location like "near Ambridge" or "in West Borsetshire"

No pictures as doesn't carry a phone, but had pen and paper to write down the location (even though he was lost)
But even though OP was "lost" he knew that he would be back on a RoW if he hopped a gate? Knows the location buy decides to join a farming forum and posts on t'internet rather than speak to the farmer

All sounds very suspicious.

 

[Highland Mule]

This doesn't sound like a lightning strike to me.

Have you seen a pile of sheep just after a lightning strike? It's not like any other cause of death I've seen (and I keep sheep so...)

I'd draw your attention to: "I know which farm it is", hence the suggestion that the OP contacts the farmer first, and then takes things from there.