Salisbury farmers found guilty of breaching disqualification order

Wiltshire Council has successfully prosecuted two farmers following the mistreatment of cattle.

Michael Babey (69) of Orcheston, near Salisbury, appeared at Salisbury Magistrates Court on 6th and 7th March and was found guilty of animal welfare offences and breaching a disqualification order preventing Mr Babey from keeping cattle.

Julie Babey (52) pleaded guilty in May 2024 to animal welfare offences and aiding and abetting Mr Babey in breaching his disqualification order.

Both sets of charges relate to cattle kept on land at Tanners Lane in Shrewton.

Mr Babey was, in 2019, disqualified from keeping cattle and cows for five years to prevent the risk of suffering to his animals. Following his disqualification, his wife became the owner of the cattle. Officers found that despite the disqualification order, Mr Babey continued to care for and keep cattle, in breach of the order.

In November 2023, an animal health officer visited with a vet from the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) where 24 cattle were found on the small site. Eleven cattle were being kept in one pen in heavily soiled conditions, with the feeding area covered in deep slurry/mud.  The pen was found to be non-compliant with legal requirements due to insufficient space for all of the cattle to lie down simultaneously. Water provided was highly soiled and not of suitable quality for the animals to drink. 

A subsequent visit later in November found that conditions had not improved sufficiently.

In January 2024, the farm was visited again by officers and the APHA vet, where twenty-three cattle were found to have no access to water. One cow was seen to be licking from an empty water container for five minutes.  There is no water provision at the site, and the animals rely on this being brought to the farm in a container. The vet’s opinion was that the cattle were being given insufficient amounts of water.

Mr and Mrs Babey will be sentenced at Salisbury Magistrate’s Court on 24 April.

Cllr Dominic Muns, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “I’m proud of the work that our dedicated animal health officers carry out, and this case shows that they will act quickly to ensure that Wiltshire farmers and livestock owners take good care of their animals.

“I hope that the court’s decision today sends a strong message that failing to meet animal welfare standards will not be tolerated in Wiltshire.”

Records for the farm showed an overall mortality rate of 31% for cattle kept by Mr and Mrs Babey.  The overall mortality rate in England for all cattle in 2023 was 5.03%.