Farmer jailed for leaving cattle in a hell hole

[llamedos]

A HAMPSHIRE farmer has been locked up after leaving 170 cows in a “vision of hell”.

Edmund Draper Kane, who lives at North End Farm in the New Forest, left his cattle in ‘squalid and filthy’ conditions in March this year leaving three dead, a court heard.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/dis...ter_leaving_cows_in___39_vision_of_hell__39_/

 

[wr.]

As I've said on here before - we have to obtain certificates to do nearly everything on a farm these days except fart and keep livestock. And God forbid that you have a mistake in your paperwork

 

[Davey]

Words fail me.

Regardless of what else I had going on I couldn't sleep at night knowing my animals lacked something as basic as water.

 

[Happy at it]

It's easy to judge. Not to say it's acceptable, but things can unravel so easily on people. Be it mental, physical, financial problems or whatever else we can't ever say that day might not come to us, we just don't know. Sad.

 

[Chasingmytail]

It's easy to judge. Not to say it's acceptable, but things can unravel so easily on people. Be it mental, physical, financial problems or whatever else we can't ever say that day might not come to us, we just don't know. Sad.

I know what you mean however, there were bound to be visitors/deliveries and other family members. The cattle have ear tags so there must of been some husbandry there.
No matter if there was some mental breakdown I would be surprised if you had no passion left to call for help.
Reason why spot checks/vet visits etc are not a bad thing if you have nothing to hide.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Dear god
Enough to make you cry

 

[Wooly]

Strangely, the first photo on the newspaper report shows some nice calves..................... and then shows a shed full of straw. Something went terribly wrong.


I hope he wasn't farm assured!

 

[Extreme Optimist]

I wish I hadn't looked at that!!!

 

[ollie989898]

That is awful. No man I know could walk by that and not feel pretty appalled. I want to know how in the hell that can happen in today's age, what with farm assurance, RSPCA and trading standards, you would have thought a member of the public or a by stander would have said something to someone.

 

[Highcountryshepherd]

Strangely, the first photo on the newspaper report shows some nice calves..................... and then shows a shed full of straw. Something went terribly wrong.

That was 2010 in reports , there's no excuse what ever mental physical or any thing else , hope the guy rots to leave stock like that is wrong , his neighbors are just as guilty by not saying anything imo

 

[Lovegoodstock]

Certainly not saying right in any way, far from it, but just got my mind thinking with the photos. Sys filthy squalid conditions, ok far from a beautiful deep littered shed, but second photo appears not to be filthy and dry, looking at door of shed it appears no depth of bed at all but does appear dry, and seeing the muck on cattle I would think they have just come in from field? Poor dead black one appears full of milk, as if about to or freshly calved? Guess autumn and heavy in calf heifers left out too long needing more/ better feed. Sad on all accounts, difficult situation. If you saw a neighbour have same cattle left out needing in or feed, depending on your relationship how many would approach them saying do you need help, money or feed? Although I appreciate it needn't be as blunt as that

 

[multi power]

It's easy to judge. Not to say it's acceptable, but things can unravel so easily on people. Be it mental, physical, financial problems or whatever else we can't ever say that day might not come to us, we just don't know. Sad.

Exactly, it's time enough to judge a man when you have walked a mile in his shoes

 

[Philip Watkins]

Certainly not saying right in any way, far from it, but just got my mind thinking with the photos. Sys filthy squalid conditions, ok far from a beautiful deep littered shed, but second photo appears not to be filthy and dry, looking at door of shed it appears no depth of bed at all but does appear dry, and seeing the muck on cattle I would think they have just come in from field? Poor dead black one appears full of milk, as if about to or freshly calved? Guess autumn and heavy in calf heifers left out too long needing more/ better feed. Sad on all accounts, difficult situation. If you saw a neighbour have same cattle left out needing in or feed, depending on your relationship how many would approach them saying do you need help, money or feed? Although I appreciate it needn't be as blunt as that

Have you clicked the link in the OP? Carole has chosen to post 2 of the "better" pictures.

 

[Lovegoodstock]

Ok no, take it that its not good. Wouldn't open earlier, might not even bother trying to be honest as I think I get your point without seeing!!

 

[wr.]

Ok no, take it that its not good. Wouldn't open earlier, might not even bother trying to be honest as I think I get your point without seeing!!

It really will give you nightmares.

 

[Doc]

This sort of thing is so damaging to the industry. It's serious stuff and often very complicated by personal and social issues.
I've been involved with a handful of neglect/welfare cases over the years. Usually the person is in complete denial, is subsistence farming on small scale and in financial bother. Although one case (organic btw) was an utterly deluded Knob.
In the most recent situation I've been involved with the responsibility has passed from DEFRA to local authority animal health. The later seem most bothered about the paperwork/eartags and has minimal farming knowledge and frankly seems reluctant to get too involved. The FCN people have been fantastic but can only offer help/suggestion with no enforceability.
The RSPCA, whom I'm no lover of, aren't interested in farm issues as they seem too complicated. They like spending their money on persecuting people they don't like, mainly travellers with ponies around here.
It's all a bit of a mess and it's one area I would actually love DEFRA to be more involved in as the 'enforcers' of animal welfare legislation, to take it seriously, be independent from local politics/ conflict of interest and have/use the powers of slaughter or to seize stock where appropriate.
An anonymous report line or some such within the farming community would help. In all circumstances I've been involved-the neighbours, Vets etc have known there was a problem but have no meaningful channel to report through without alienating the 'victim' and have felt all reporting has damaged relationships but achieved no solution to the problem anyway.

 

[jendan]

Have you clicked the link in the OP? Carole has chosen to post 2 of the "better" pictures.

No, they are not the "better" pictures!!! They are the worst;a dead cow and a dead/downer stirk.Something does not stack up here,where are the other 170 animals? We do not know if the photographs were a snapshot of the whole farm,or carefully taken of the very worst parts for maximum impact.I suspect the latter.The headline picture is of the unfortuneate bedding his calves up;they appear healthy.The structure of the buildings look decent.There has been a burst/broken water trough in one shed which makes it look really bad,but this can happen to anyone.If the pictures were the worst of the farm,i suggest 3/4 hours work with a loadall,2 dozen round/big square bales of straw,and the dead cow,stirk and calf away to the fallen stock,and this would have been sorted.

 

[jendan]

This sort of thing is so damaging to the industry. It's serious stuff and often very complicated by personal and social issues.
I've been involved with a handful of neglect/welfare cases over the years. Usually the person is in complete denial, is subsistence farming on small scale and in financial bother. Although one case (organic btw) was an utterly deluded Knob.
In the most recent situation I've been involved with the responsibility has passed from DEFRA to local authority animal health. The later seem most bothered about the paperwork/eartags and has minimal farming knowledge and frankly seems reluctant to get too involved. The FCN people have been fantastic but can only offer help/suggestion with no enforceability.
The RSPCA, whom I'm no lover of, aren't interested in farm issues as they seem too complicated. They like spending their money on persecuting people they don't like, mainly travellers with ponies around here.
It's all a bit of a mess and it's one area I would actually love DEFRA to be more involved in as the 'enforcers' of animal welfare legislation, to take it seriously, be independent from local politics/ conflict of interest and have/use the powers of slaughter or to seize stock where appropriate.
An anonymous report line or some such within the farming community would help. In all circumstances I've been involved-the neighbours, Vets etc have known there was a problem but have no meaningful channel to report through without alienating the 'victim' and have felt all reporting has damaged relationships but achieved no solution to the problem anyway.

In what capacity have you been involved in these cases?

 

[Doc]

Hi @jendan,
This is a public forum- no specifics on details, sorry.
You are right with your post. A lot of the issues can often be sorted pretty rapidly with a bit of money, staff/help, serviceable machinery, bedding/feed, a visit by the vet and knackerman, realism as regards where you are with things and most importantly the personal WILL to sort it all out.
And once sorted they require maintenance of the good farming practices we all do all the time. Otherwise, as I've seen, things soon just deteriorate back to where they were.
The situation has Usually evolved over time due to all sorts of reasons both personal and financial. Those involved can't see how it appears to others, or basically the specifics are lost in the general misery of ones situation.
It's always very complicated but above all very sad for those involved and their stock.
A broken arable system is a personal and financial disaster but a broken livestock enterprise has human and animal victims which the public and media are very keen to scrutinise/criticise.

 

[Old Tip]

I have a neighbour who has struggled with depression for years, has been single most of his life and who's father shots himself as he felt he was becoming a burden on his son.
Over the years the farms around him have all chipped in to help and at times have fed his cattle or sheared his sheep etc. He could very easily end up in the same situation as the chap in the article as things steadily deteriorate the ill cannot and do not recognise what's happening around them.
As @Doc says it's all to easy to get into a mess and I agree with @jendan this looks like a well equipped farm with decent buildings and adequate straw etc so probably a case of either total denial of a person in need of help rather than imprisement.
Time will tell
But his poor mother will be in a mess without him and I doubt the farm will be much better managed. I do hope the animals and his mother are getting a lot of help from his neighbours even if he was culpable

OT