Council chairman fined for breaching animal welfare laws » Communities » 24dash.com

A council chairman and former head of a farming union was ordered to pay £920 today after admitting two dozen breaches of animal welfare laws.

Hugh Richards (pictured), 65, of Felinfoel, Llanelli, is a former president of the National Farmers' Union of Wales.

Described in court today as a "pillar of the community", he was awarded an OBE in 1999 for his services to agriculture.

Richards is chairman of Carmarthenshire County Council, the authority which brought the prosecution against him.

After 12 lambs were sold at Carmarthen Mart in January, it was discovered they were suffering from foot rot, Llanelli Magistrates'
Court heard today.

Richards had failed to follow best practice in treating the condition by not giving the lambs antibiotics.

At Ammanford Magistrates' Court in the summer, Richards admitted 12 offences of transporting lambs to market when not fit for the journey.

He also admitted 12 offences of failing to follow best practice in the treatment of animals.

Chris James, defending, said the lameness that the lambs suffered was detected only after sale when they had been standing around on concrete at the mart all day.

Richards was "devastated" by the discovery and would never have deliberately put the animals in that position, he said.

The court heard that he responded by taking the animals back and nursing them to health.

They made a full recovery within 14 days and were later sold on in a healthy state.

Magistrates accepted today that Richards had not intentionally caused suffering to the animals.

They fined him £405 for the admitted breaches and ordered him to pay £500 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Both Richards and Carmarthenshire County Council declined to comment after the case.