A shepherd in Oxfordshire has been found guilty of neglecting dead sheep, leaving them to decay in a field, raising serious animal welfare concerns.
Oxfordshire: Jonathon Hornsby Simpson, who runs Jon’s Shepherding, has been in hot water for a while now. Back in April 2023, he was already convicted of multiple animal welfare offenses.
The court found that he had been ignoring rules about disposing of dead sheep. Instead of handling them properly, he just buried them in a muck heap to rot. Not cool, right?
This all came to light after an inspection by the trading standards team from Oxfordshire County Council. They discovered the shocking state of his field, filled with decaying sheep.
Simpson, who used to live in Faringdon, also didn’t keep proper records. He was missing an up-to-date register of his animals and didn’t track their movements or veterinary treatments.
Initially, he got a 12-month community order and had to pay some hefty fines for the cleanup. But when inspectors returned in October 2023, they found nothing had changed. The dead sheep were still left to rot, and the field was a mess of bones.
He didn’t improve his record-keeping either, failing to provide necessary documents when asked. So, after another court hearing, he was handed a seven-month suspended sentence.
Councillor Dr. Nathan Ley praised the trading standards team for their hard work in this case. He emphasized the importance of animal welfare laws to prevent disease and protect the food chain.
It’s a serious issue, especially with recent disease outbreaks in other countries. This case shows how crucial it is to keep our animal welfare standards in check.
