Large scale fraud and criminality on Pembrokeshire mega-herd farm.

[Cowabunga]

Substantial fines for farmers who knowingly kept cattle with bovine TB reactors on farm

Three members of a Pembrokeshire farming family have been sentenced for deliberately swapping cattle ear tags; actions that saw animals with Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) reactors remain on the farm.

newsroom.pembrokeshire.gov.uk

Read the article. It brings the dairy industry into disrepute and in my opinion they should have substantial jail time as well as confiscation of assets on top of individual fines. They should also be stripped of their Farm Assurance status permanently.



What do you think?

Am I being too harsh? As ‘Hanging Judge Duck’ I would personally have seen them hung drawn and quartered and their heads publicly displayed on spikes outside the Court for their long term criminality, so maybe I am a bit harsh. We just cannot afford having these kinds of people in the industry. Apart from systemic animal cruelty I cannot imagine a worse case of farmer criminality than this.

 

[GEMS]

Substantial fines for farmers who knowingly kept cattle with bovine TB reactors on farm

Three members of a Pembrokeshire farming family have been sentenced for deliberately swapping cattle ear tags; actions that saw animals with Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) reactors remain on the farm.

newsroom.pembrokeshire.gov.uk

Read the article. It brings the dairy industry into disrepute and in my opinion they should have substantial jail time as well as confiscation of assets on top of individual fines. They should also be stripped of their Farm Assurance status permanently.



What do you think?

Am I being too harsh? As ‘Hanging Judge Duck’ I would personally have seen them hung drawn and quartered and their heads publicly displayed on spikes outside the Court for their long term criminality, so maybe I am a bit harsh. We just cannot afford having these kinds of people in the industry. Apart from systemic animal cruelty I cannot imagine a worse case of farmer criminality than this.

Not harsh at all.
Farmers work hard and deserve all support and compensation.
BUT not if corrupt and immoral ........take all payments back. Bankrupt them .

 

[Cowabunga]

Not harsh at all.
Farmers work hard and deserve all support and compensation.
BUT not if corrupt and immoral ........take all payments back. Bankrupt them .

If they retain or regain Farm Assurance status after this, the Farm Assurance is an even bigger farce than I already believe it to be [for different reasons]. No milk company will surely take their milk after this, particularly because they specifically sold milk from known TB infected cattle, undermining the reputation for quality of the milk processor customer.
In truth I am both amazed and appalled at the criminality , and the scale and audacity of it, over decades, involved in this case. I feel very strongly about this as one of the vast majority of farmers that dot the ‘I’ and cross the ’T’ of some quite absurd gold plated ridiculous demands made upon us, only to find this case which really upsets me .

 

[glasshouse]

If they retain or regain Farm Assurance status after this, the Farm Assurance is an even bigger farce than I already believe it to be [for different reasons]. No milk company will surely take their milk after this, particularly because they specifically sold milk from known TB infected cattle, undermining the reputation for quality of the milk processor customer.
In truth I am both amazed and appalled at the criminality , and the scale and audacity of it, over decades, involved in this case. I feel very strongly about this as one of the vast majority of farmers that dot the ‘I’ and cross the ’T’ of some quite absurd gold plated ridiculous demands made upon us, only to find this case which really upsets me .

So does a reactor actually have TB?

 

[som farmer]

So does a reactor actually have TB?

some do, some don't, gone down twice here, and nothing cultured to confirm TB, went clear with the 2 60day tests.

but its the test the ministry have chosen to use as standard, so we are stuck with it.

but 'fiddling' the results, affect all of us, so harsh punishment required, and to deter anybody else from doing it.

no faith in RT, they probably would 'pass' farm again, after many expensive visits, of course

but TB will remain a political expensive hot potato, until such time a politician has the balls to actually do what is necessary, sort out the badgers.

 

[crashbox]

A better question might be why we (UK) have such a prevalent Bovine TB issue compared to our neighbouring countries (Ireland, France, Germany).

I agree that they are flawed but a wise person would focus on the cause rather than people struggling with the effects.

 

[milkloss]

Using different coloured pens is one thing. Fraud on that level is embarrassing.

 

[glasshouse]

The uk govt is commiting fraud by not paying the market value of reactor cows

 

[Enry]

Substantial fines for farmers who knowingly kept cattle with bovine TB reactors on farm

Three members of a Pembrokeshire farming family have been sentenced for deliberately swapping cattle ear tags; actions that saw animals with Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) reactors remain on the farm.

newsroom.pembrokeshire.gov.uk

Read the article. It brings the dairy industry into disrepute and in my opinion they should have substantial jail time as well as confiscation of assets on top of individual fines. They should also be stripped of their Farm Assurance status permanently.



What do you think?

Am I being too harsh? As ‘Hanging Judge Duck’ I would personally have seen them hung drawn and quartered and their heads publicly displayed on spikes outside the Court for their long term criminality, so maybe I am a bit harsh. We just cannot afford having these kinds of people in the industry. Apart from systemic animal cruelty I cannot imagine a worse case of farmer criminality than this.

£3m in TB comp!! Crooks like this will have done untold damage to the credibility of the industry - Politicians and public blaming farmers for spread of TB and this plays into their hands!

"The farm was one of only two in Wales to have had TB present for over 20 years. Since 2009 the farm had received more than £3 million in compensation payments, more than any other farm in Wales."

 

[Spudley]

These are my neighbors. We are next door but one to one of their satellite farms. I don't think I can publically say what I feel about them.

 

[Cowabunga]

These are my neighbors. We are next door but one to one of their satellite farms. I don't think I can publically say what I feel about them.

That’s understandable. Keep your head down and your nose clean in your parish.

 

[kiwi pom]

Are they still milking?

 

[Cowabunga]

The fine and costs is not much really. If they sold all their cows to slaughter tomorrow [who would buy them to milk? They can’t anyway as they are perpetually under restriction {is it any wonder?}] they would surely net nearly £2million tax free.
Of course, if they have outstanding debts of several million, that would alter the equation somewhat.

 

[andrew830]

Wasnt there another dairy farm in Usk doing the same thing?
Hopefully they will be shut down for good.

 

[Henarar]

Substantial fines for farmers who knowingly kept cattle with bovine TB reactors on farm

Three members of a Pembrokeshire farming family have been sentenced for deliberately swapping cattle ear tags; actions that saw animals with Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) reactors remain on the farm.

newsroom.pembrokeshire.gov.uk

Read the article. It brings the dairy industry into disrepute and in my opinion they should have substantial jail time as well as confiscation of assets on top of individual fines. They should also be stripped of their Farm Assurance status permanently.



What do you think?

Am I being too harsh? As ‘Hanging Judge Duck’ I would personally have seen them hung drawn and quartered and their heads publicly displayed on spikes outside the Court for their long term criminality, so maybe I am a bit harsh. We just cannot afford having these kinds of people in the industry. Apart from systemic animal cruelty I cannot imagine a worse case of farmer criminality than this.

All those cows and they still had to cheat when with that lot they should be raking it in, if not then why bother, deserve all they get thrown at them, some folk can't help themselves.

If we had a calf born over night Mum used to worry that it was written down as the right birth day.

 

[Drago]

The fine and costs is not much really. If they sold all their cows to slaughter tomorrow [who would buy them to milk? They can’t anyway as they are perpetually under restriction {is it any wonder?}] they would surely net nearly £2million tax free.
Of course, if they have outstanding debts of several million, that would alter the equation somewhat.

Not sure... I read 24k each
90k awarded to council for costs??
Another 217k was mentioned.

Wasn't exactly clear what the total fine could be.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Substantial fines for farmers who knowingly kept cattle with bovine TB reactors on farm

Three members of a Pembrokeshire farming family have been sentenced for deliberately swapping cattle ear tags; actions that saw animals with Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) reactors remain on the farm.

newsroom.pembrokeshire.gov.uk

Read the article. It brings the dairy industry into disrepute and in my opinion they should have substantial jail time as well as confiscation of assets on top of individual fines. They should also be stripped of their Farm Assurance status permanently.



What do you think?

Am I being too harsh? As ‘Hanging Judge Duck’ I would personally have seen them hung drawn and quartered and their heads publicly displayed on spikes outside the Court for their long term criminality, so maybe I am a bit harsh. We just cannot afford having these kinds of people in the industry. Apart from systemic animal cruelty I cannot imagine a worse case of farmer criminality than this.

I wholeheartedly agree, our justice system is too lenient for white collar crime (which I would really classify this as)

 

[Pistonbroke]

All those cows and they still had to cheat when with that lot they should be raking it in, if not then why bother, deserve all they get thrown at them, some folk can't help themselves.

If we had a calf born over night Mum used to worry that it was written down as the right birth day.

There's a few pedigree breeders that have to remember what season the calves were born in,let alone which day

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

The uk govt is commiting fraud by not paying the market value of reactor cows

Exactly this it’s criminal.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Wow.

They got a very nice judge didn't they, if I did a stunt like that in little old lawless NZ I'd be subject to a higher fine as an employee than they got as owner operators of a fairly substantial operation. And "owner-operators" they sound to be. f**k btb

Dairy workers here could get smacked with up to that quoted £24k, for letting effluent get "close" to a waterway, let alone managers or owners.

Do they like to make light of fraud over there, if so it seems like a reasonable risk ?