Oxfordshire shepherd left carcasses to rot on muck heap

An Oxfordshire shepherd has been given a 12-month community order and ordered to pay £2,000 towards court costs, having pleaded guilty to leaving dead animals to rot.

Jonathon Simpson, 38, who trades as Jon’s Shepherding based near Witney, pleaded guilty to 13 animal welfare and farming standards offences at Oxford Magistrates Court, following prosecution by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team.

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The court heard that Mr Simpson had failed to comply with animal by-products regulations by disposing of a large number of dead sheep, over many years, by simply leaving them to rot in a muck heap.

Between 2017 and 2022, Mr Simpson also failed to keep an up-to-date register of animals, or to record animal movements, or to maintain a proper veterinary medicines record.

Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council’s head of trading standards, said: “We fully support our farming community and all those who work in it. The vast majority work to the highest standards.

“Those who seek to bypass the rules not only put the integrity of the food chain at risk, but also gain an unfair advantage over hard-working farmers.

“Animal welfare legislation is there for very good reason, to control disease, to protect animals and to ensure the safety of the wider food chain. These offences put all that at risk.”

As well as the 12-month community order and legal costs, Mr Simpson must complete a 15-day rehabilitation requirement, and meet the costs for the appropriate removal of the muck heap and animal remains.