A Pembrokeshire farmer who subjected his livestock to insufferable conditions has abandoned his appeal against a five year disqualification from keeping animals.

In January 2022 Richard Scarfe, 41, of Park Street, Pembroke Dock was banned from keeping animals at his farm in Lamphey after photographs taken by Pembroke County Council officers revealed his livestock were being kept in wretched conditions.

These included:

  • Being left lying wet, muddy fields;
  • standing in their own excrement in barns;
  • appearing perilously underfed and
  • having insufficient water.

“The level of suffering over an elongated period when you thought you were doing your best is simply not good enough,” said District Judge Christopher James when determining his sentence earlier this year.

Scarfe pleaded guilty to 18 charges relating to animal welfare issues concerning the animals that he kept on land at Highland View Fold, The Ridgeway, Lamphey.

The animals included Highland cattle, pigs, goats, donkeys and sheep.

But in March 2022, he requested that the order preventing him from keeping animals be suspended.

Magistrates declined Scarfe’s request and he was ordered to pay £2,000 to Pembrokeshire County Council.

Once again he commenced appeal proceedings.  Despite submitting hundreds of photographs to the court of animals depicting them to be in better conditions than those seen during the original hearing, this morning his appeal was abandoned.

“Due to the number of criminal barristers practicing in south Wales and the backlog that’s built up as a result of Covid and the bar strike, it’s impossible to proceed,” said Scarfe’s defence Counsel.

“As a result, he’s reached the decision that he would like to abandon the appeal.”

Today Swansea Crown Court heard that the abandoned appeal comprised a total of eight individual hearings as well as investigative work carried out by two county council officers.

As a result, he was ordered to pay a total of £500 in costs.

His disqualification from keeping animals will continue for five years.

Pembrokeshire County Council began investigating Scarfe’s land in late 2019. They discovered it was heavily poached, while the grazing land was severely inadequate due to overstocking.

The animals were found to be deprived of drinking water and food, and their bedding was heavily soiled with the result that they didn’t have any clean, dry areas in which they could comfortably lie.

Officers also discovered several animal carcasses in various stages of decomposition which had been left abandoned in fields. This meant that other livestock had easy access to them.

Scarfe pleaded guilty to all offences, including an additional charge of obstructing officers whilst carrying out their duty under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.