Farmer fined for failing to meet ‘psychological needs’ of cow
Ronald Norcliffe, 65, kept the cow and its calf in a barn but had not provided adequate lighting, breaching the Animal Welfare Act.
Huddersfield magistrates heard that Mr Norciffe, who had been a farmer for 30 years, did not even have electricity in his own house.
Officers from Kirklees Environmental Health department and the Government’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) visited Norcliffe’s farm at Scammonden, West Yorks, in August 2008 to carry out tuberculosis tests.
While there, they asked where Mr Norcliffe intended to keep his cows in winter. When he said he would use a barn underneath his house, he was told it was unsuitable because it had little natural light, no electric lights and the doors were kept closed.
There were three follow-up visits but things did not improve.
Carol English, prosecuting, said: “He said the cattle were fine and he always kept them this way. He wouldn’t keep the doors open as it was too cold. He said he would have lights fitted on a generator.”
An improvement notice was served on Norcliffe by a DEFRA vet, ordering him to improve the lighting.
But on two further visits the lights were not switched on.
Bob Carr, representing Norcliffe, ridiculed the Kirklees Council prosecution.
He said: “I don’t know what the psychological or ethological needs of these cows are and I’m sure Mr Norcliffe doesn’t either.
“I still have no idea how much lighting is appropriate for a cow – and this man, who has had 30 years of farming experience and is keeping these animals healthy, is none the wiser.
“In my respectful submission this didn’t do any harm whatsoever.”
As well as the fine, Norcliffe was ordered to pay £50 costs and a £15 victim surcharge. However, he was not stopped from keeping cattle.
The council defended the prosecution, the first it has brought under the Animal Welfare Act in nine years. A spokesman said: “Our animal health and welfare officers paid several visits to Mr Norcliffe and worked hard to find simple, low-cost solutions – some as simple as cleaning windows and
trimming back bushes obscuring the windows which could have been easily introduced.
“We offered help and advice, but Mr Norcliffe failed to improve conditions for his livestock.”
October 18, 2009 at 00:33Whats a victim surcharge? Isn’t it a tax to fund an initiative to provide
support for victims of crime?If so, what did they buy the cow? Or did the money go straight on 100%
human victim of crime support? If so its a scandal lol!
October 15, 2009 at 15:09What I want to know is what is the
October 15, 2009 at 02:14Look now, it is just a fish net of rubbish. Who cares if your average cow
gets enough litght? I eould always be more concerned if the bloody cow was
warm enough come Winter..But I don’t think that this is what we are talking about. Is it?
I think we should all become vegetarians overnight, and kill every domestic
animal on the Planet. Except for my dog. But he is old any way.
October 15, 2009 at 00:20Just checked in again. And have to say, that apart from having a big smile,
I’m grateful to you Gloria et al for improving me English …
If only I could make that kind of jokes meself …
Tell you what? I’ll teach you Dutch!
On that note, I bid you all good
night
I’m off the the classical silken sheets
PS: If my information is correct it is Salmon, not Tuna
October 14, 2009 at 23:54Those were some pretty cool puns. I bow to all of you.
I would join in, but sadly I have no sense of tuna.
October 14, 2009 at 23:14So did the farmer shed any light on why he shed no light in the shed?
- October 14, 2009 at 23:01
Oh, Dear John. Or did I mean Smudd? Those of us who frequent this Bog
obviously don’t have a serious brain cell between us.THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ARE STUPID.
We are just irreverant. However, do Rollmop on.
October 14, 2009 at 22:40I just had to try to top Saul’s John West letter (John West, a brand of
tinned salmon).Sorry.
-
October 14, 2009 at 22:38 It’s just from a silly song Ch
- October 14, 2009 at 22:26
Think she might have. Actually was expecting your [plural] rapid-firing
just when I saw the title of the article. And I got what I expected. Only …
could you explain the “I-
October 14, 2009 at 22:20 It’s 55 posts’ worth of hoof-hearted nonsense so far. Anna finds stories
like this and I’m not sure why.Sometimes I think she puts them up just so that one or two of us will post
rapid-fire rubbish at each other. In fact it’s happening so often I’m going to
start keeping a dairy so I can keep a record of it. I hope she hasn’t been
deliberately trying to make me look like a stupid cow..
October
14, 2009 at 22:04This is a joke? Come on pull the udder one.
-
October 14, 2009 at 21:56 Oh, and I forgot to say I’ve just received a John, John, the Goose has Gone
letter.I’m bewildered and obviously mixing with lunatics.
-
October 14, 2009 at 21:53 Sabot. Dear Sabot. So good to see you on the grid. I suspect you have much
to heifer in the pun-stakes and feel sure you could keep the twaddle mooving
on at a stable pace.Am I mistaken or did the conversation stall briefly earlier on? And where’s
Saul gone? Don’t tell me he’s buried under a tuna fan-mail?So sorry, Anna, about hogging the thread – it’s just a meating of minds –
maybe you should moove this thread lower down the pecking order so that we
don’t put the rest of the herd off; after all, don’t they say that you have to
speculate to ruminate? Shove us and our silly moosings right to the back at
the site, but don’t be cross.After all, to err is human, to forgive … bovine.
- October 14, 2009 at 20:18
Just as a matter of interest, my kitchen is what was the cow byre, which
was inside the house, next to to one roomed living quarters. It faces due
North and never gets any light. Why isn’t someone banging on my door to worry
about my permanent lack of light ray?But then I’m just a crabby old trout.
- October 14, 2009 at 20:11
Ah Ha. Another Red Herring. The chips are down, I see.
October 14, 2009 at 19:36I would just like to point out,that this is a dolphin friendly thread.
Before we start getting any of those John West letters-
October 14, 2009 at 19:34 What’s this? A run of painfully-weak cow puns stopped in its tracks by the
teasing suggestion that Sabot might join in a fish-based pun-fest?
Bovine-based pun-run duly switched to matters more fishy, only for Sabot to
vanish?I think we’ve been Sabot-aged.
-
October 14, 2009 at 19:31 I seem to have a bit of a tense, nervous haddock coming on.
Hope I don’t get one of those John Dory letters….
- October 14, 2009 at 19:25
Skating on fin ice there Glo.
-
October 14, 2009 at 19:23 Sabot! At last! Someone who can do joined-up whiting!
BTW, just how bullocks, on a scale of 1 – 10?
- October 14, 2009 at 19:21
Fish puns? Of coarse.
- October 14, 2009 at 19:20
Stop egging me on.
- October 14, 2009 at 19:20
Cod we swap to the fish puns now, This is bullocks.
-
October 14, 2009 at 19:19 Alright, chuck.
- October 14, 2009 at 19:16
Spare me the ribbing.
-
October 14, 2009 at 19:14 Just hope I don
-
October 14, 2009 at 19:11 I’d steak my last farthing on us being able to knuckle down and chuck out a
few more…- October 14, 2009 at 19:09
Just hope I don’t get one of those John Deere letters.
-
October 14, 2009 at 19:08 We certainly seem to have put together a tractor two.
- October 14, 2009 at 19:06
Combined harvesting of puns.
-
October 14, 2009 at 19:03 We may have just grazed the surface.
-
October 14, 2009 at 19:02 If we steer clear of any bull, we might be able to yak on like this for
hours..- October 14, 2009 at 19:02
I think we should put this one out to grass.
- October 14, 2009 at 18:57
If we can stomach this, we can stomach anything.
-
October 14, 2009 at 18:55 Some of it’s fairly offal so far.
- October 14, 2009 at 18:55
Are you suggesting we are writing tripe?
-
October 14, 2009 at 18:53 I wondered if we were low-ering the tone of the blog slightly ..
- October 14, 2009 at 18:53
That methane could be used to shed some light in.. err… the shed.
-
October 14, 2009 at 18:47 Methane-ks we’d butter do as she says, Saul …
October 14, 2009 at 18:49
- October 14, 2009 at 18:44
That’s a moot point
-
October 14, 2009 at 18:43 You herd her Saul …
- October 14, 2009 at 18:44
- October 14, 2009 at 18:41
We’ve been rumbled Glo, lets get the flock out of here.
- October 14, 2009 at 18:42
- October 14, 2009 at 18:39
The pshychiatrist said the cow was full of angust.
-
October 14, 2009 at 18:38 Yogourt feeling, I suppose Anna!
-
October 14, 2009 at 18:36 I’ve heard that one beefore.
- October 14, 2009 at 18:35
No buts, its got to be a butter.
- October 14, 2009 at 18:37
-
October 14, 2009 at 18:32 And I’ll get me goat. Just kidding!
- October 14, 2009 at 18:30
On filling up Cleopatra’s bath with milk the hand maiden asked…
Do you
want it pasteurised?She replied “just up to my chin will do”
I’ll get me coat.
-
October 14, 2009 at 18:28 Comma gain?
- October 14, 2009 at 18:28
I’ll try and churn some out.
- October 14, 2009 at 18:27
Gulp! I have left myself open to the apostrophe police.
-
October 14, 2009 at 18:27 I expect you’re going to come up with some terrible puns Saul – I wouldn’t
put it pasture.-
October 14, 2009 at 18:25 The bales, the bales ….!
- October 14, 2009 at 18:23
Pull the udder one Glo, it’s got cow bells on it
-
October 14, 2009 at 18:23 I’ll knit the poor fresian cow a Jersey, shall I?
October 14, 2009 at 18:23Is it April 1st?
This has to be a joke, right?
(Some of my cows were
complaining it’s too bright, so I’ve bought them all sunglasses, as turning
the lights off would contravene the regulations. They wanted the sun turned
down too, but don’t believe me when I tell them that’s out of my reach.)-
October 14, 2009 at 18:22 You cudn’t make it up, cud you?
- October 14, 2009 at 18:20
The Vet took one look and said this poor Cow is fresian, get her inside
where it is warm.- October 14, 2009 at 18:17
I thought you might be milking this one Glo.
-
October 14, 2009 at 18:14 Oh, very amoosing.
- October 14, 2009 at 18:10
The council deserve a pat on the back……
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