News

Pembroke Dock: 50 dogs rescued in animal welfare case

Published

5 years ago

January 30, 2019

POLICE and Council officers are investigating a series of allegations relating to animal welfare complaints following an exclusive Herald Online investigation.

On Tuesday, January 29, three Dog Ambulances from the Dogs Trust, council officers from Pembrokeshire County Council and Police officers from Dyfed Powys Police attended at Bramble Hall Farm, Pembroke Dock.

Speaking to The Herald on Wednesday, January 30, a spokesperson from the Dogs Trust told us: “On Tuesday 29 January, we assisted Pembrokeshire County Council and Dyfed-Powys police in attending to dogs whose welfare has potentially been compromised at a premises near Pembroke Dock.

“More than 50 dogs were removed from the site and Dogs Trust staff were on hand to ensure that affected dogs were safely retrieved and transported with care to Council premises in our specially equipped Animal Ambulance.

“The health and welfare of the dogs is our priority and we will do all we can to assist Pembrokeshire County Council.

“If anyone is concerned about any specific dogs that they think may be involved they can contact the Animal Health Team at Pembrokeshire County Council on 01437 764 551.”

The action took place after Pembroke Dock residents contacted The Herald over the weekend to express concerns about the welfare of animals in a nearby field, believed to belong to the same farm.

A sheep was in a field backing on to the southern edge of Bush Estate on Sunday afternoon (Jan 27).

Old vehicle: In front of the gateway (pic. Herald)

Locals who saw the animal in distress described it as seemingly ‘neglected’.

The concerned members of the public tried to contact the RSCPA but received no help, which ultimately meant that a vet had to put the animal to sleep.

A Facebook post about the incident has been shared hundreds of times, with many local residents expressing their outrage at the fact animals were being kept in such conditions.

A Herald reporter visited the field on Monday afternoon (Jan 28) and it was easy to see why locals were alarmed.
Immediately in front of the gate to the field is the shell of a wrecked vehicle, with debris strewn across the ground across the length of the field.

Wire, pieces of old wooden pallets, and litter can easily be identified from the gateway.

The field also lacks a lot of grass, with the majority of the ground covered in mud.

One local, who did not wish to be named, told us: “I saw the sheep – initially thought it was dead, but I went into the field and took a closer look and it was moving so I stooped down to it.

“It started to have a seizure and was in a bad way – I couldn’t leave it like she was.

“We contacted the RSPCA but after 2 hours we had heard nothing and the weather was atrocious so I decided to try and make it comfortable by making a bed in the back of my van.”

The local continued: “A man turned up to ask what was wrong – I explained and he drove off, and then the owner came.

“He was identified to me afterwards as I had no clue who he was at the time.

“He asked what was wrong and I explained and he opened her mouth, pulled her legs and told me to take it home.
“At this stage, I was unaware who this person was, so I called a vet as I couldn’t bear to see it suffer any more and the RSPCA hadn’t turned up.

“The vet came to our home and put her to sleep in the back of my van.

“Nobody has contacted myself or my friend – I’m just being inundated with messages from the public telling me of lots of other occasions of neglect that authorities are well aware of but nothing is ever done.”

When contacted by The Herald about the concerns raised, a Council spokesperson told us: “We are aware of the number of expressions of concern relating to these animals.

“We can assure the public that appropriate steps are being taken to ensure the welfare of the animals during the ongoing investigation.”

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “RSPCA Cymru is very saddened to hear that this sheep was severely injured and to prevent further suffering was put to sleep. The animal welfare charity can confirm that it received a call in regards to this sheep, and passed this onto Animal Health, which has been leading on animal-matters in the area.

“Unfortunately, the RSPCA only has a very small number of inspectors – but we receive a call for help approximately every 30 seconds across England and Wales; and sometimes need to pass calls onto other agencies where they have appropriate statutory responsibility, or who have prior experience of a location.”

However, local anger is growing at the lack of action by the RSPCA, with claims made on social media that a number of animal welfare complaints concerning animals in the fields and at Bramble Hall Farm were inexplicably ignored by the organisation.

It is not clear whether the RSPCA shared information regarding those previous complaints with the Council’s Animal Health team.

In a shocking new development, The Herald has been sent photographic evidence which suggests animal parts or carcasses have been disposed of in the same fields as the distressed sheep.

In a series of images, which may cause some readers distress, skeletal remains of animals were discovered in the same field in which livestock continues to be kept.

The failure to dispose of animal carcasses in an approved way is potentially a criminal matter.

Farming

Animal health and welfare workshops help family farm shape future business

Published

46 mins ago

April 29, 2024

Tom Sinclair

AN eagerness to learn new skills and knowledge is helping mother and son Dianna and Iestyn Spary to continually improve their livestock farming enterprise and build a financially sustainable business fit for the future.

Technical expertise and good business sense are not qualities the Sparys lack since embarking on an impressive number of Farming Connect workshops, covering a range of animal health and welfare topics.

“It’s been an amazing opportunity, we have learned so much that we can apply within the day to day running of our farm and herd, and we can draw on that knowledge as we look at developing new enterprises and diversifications,’’ says Dianna.

She is the fifth generation of her family to farm at Goytre Farm at New Church West, Chepstow, Iestyn the sixth.

Together they farm 110 hectares, running a Hereford-cross beef suckler herd and also rearing beef cattle purchased as baby calves, including more recently British Blues, taking these through to slaughter.

Although they have been immersed in agriculture all their lives, they recognise that it is an industry that is constantly changing as new research and ideas are rolled out and applied.

This is where the Farming Connect workshops have been so incredibly valuable, says Dianna.

“You are never too old to learn, things are changing all the time. If we hadn’t got involved in attending the workshops, we would never have known about some of those new ways of doing things.’’

From learning how to maximise suckler cow productivity and protecting youngstock health to understanding diseases such as Johne’s and bovine TB, the animal health and welfare training workshops have been “enormously valuable’’, she adds.

The pair have tapped into Farming Connect accredited training courses covering areas such as calf management, health and housing, body condition scoring and safe use of veterinary medicines.

“You name it we have done it,’’ says Dianna.

They were announced the winners of the 2023 Farming Connect Animal Health and Welfare Award at the Lantra Cymru Awards in January.

The knowledge gained through Farming Connect workshops and training has helped inform changes in the business.

“We now monitor cattle weights more closely and have introduced different ways of feeding,’’ Dianna explains.

“We have also been revamping all the cattle sheds and have a couple of new ones that will be going up.

“We’ve also invested in calf jackets and if there are any drops in weights, we are more responsive with feed intakes, little things like that.’’

Iestyn has also benefited from a number of sheep-related topics offered through the animal health workshops.

Through the Farming Connect Advisory Service, they have received specialist veterinary advice on their Herd Health Plan with a focus on incoming stock and biosecurity. They have also had guidance on soil health through the soil clinic.

The Sparys largely use traditional farming methods at Goytre Farm where they have several hay meadows.

All feed is produced on-farm. “By doing everything in-house we know exactly what we are feeding and that’s important to us,’’ says Dianna.

That distinctiveness, which sets them apart from some of the more mainstream farming systems, has given them the confidence to consider establishing a diversification into meat box sales, what Dianna describes as a ‘farm to fork’ approach.

Working with a local butcher who has an abattoir licence, they hope to do everything on-site, from slaughter through to hanging the carcass for 28 days, and then selling cuts direct to the consumer.

“We have also spoken to a chef who is going to produce some recipe cards for us to include in the boxes along with a bit of history of where the meat has come from,’’ says Dianna.

Another future project could be converting stone barns in the farmyard to holiday accommodation.

To help focus their minds on their plans, the Sparys will get guidance at a Farming Connect diversification surgery; they have also signed up for a ‘planning a diversification’ training course and will attend a ‘Dos and Don’ts of Diversification’ event in the coming weeks.

For Iestyn, another form of diversification, into agricultural contracting, has provided a secondary income stream.

His customer base is largely farms with smaller acreages with crops that require harvesting or spraying.

Farming Connect has helped with this process too as Iestyn has gained his Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Pesticides (PA1) and Safe Application of Pesticides Using Vehicle mounted Boom Sprayer Equipment (PA2).

He also offers field maintenance and fencing and works on a neighbouring farm during the lambing season.

This is where Farming Connect has again helped; through the animal health workshops, he has covered modules advising on the prevention of lambing losses and lameness, improving lamb performance post-weaning and parasite controls.

Dianna says the opportunities available through Farming Connect have really helped to drive the family farming business forward.

“We have a good relationship with our local Farming Connect development officer Lisa Powell, she has been brilliant in giving us advice on which courses and workshops are right for us and signing us up for those,’’ she says.

All your achievements, training and knowledge transfer activities are saved within your personal, online Storfa Sgiliau account, the unique, online professional development tool, available for you to view and download at any time from your BOSS (Business Online Support Service) account.

Education

Lib Dem leader meets student union after scrapping of teacher training

Published

4 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Tom Sinclair

Last week, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds visited Aberystwyth University to meet students following the announcement that the University will be scrapping their Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) program.

The announcement comes after the publication of an Estyn inspection report last year, which found that the institution had “been too slow” when it came to prioritising student support.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have now called for the University to produce and implement an action plan that will enable the reintroduction of this course at the earliest opportunity, as well as for the Uni to rectify any similar shortcomings in other training programs.

Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

“Aberystwyth university has long been seen as a cornerstone of education here in Wales, and its role in shaping the future of Welsh-medium education is pivotal.

However, the decision by the Education Workforce Council to withdraw accreditation for their teacher training program now puts this at risk.

The report published by Estyn rightfully identified several flaws in the Uni’s approach to supporting student teachers, along with requiring the University to make significant improvement.

The decision of the EWC suggest that these improvements have not been made.

We are now calling on the University to get their act together, fix the shortcomings in this program and begin plans to reintroduce the course as soon as possible.

Commenting, a spokesperson for the Welsh Young Liberals said: “There was an overwhelming lack of support, especially for Disabled Students, which has been consistent since 2020.

Previous lecturers were always late, and assignments were marked late and inconsistently.

As a joint honours student my timetable is very erratic, and this has an adverse effect on my wellbeing.

This does not however, mean that the course should be cut, Aberystwyth university should be looking to improve the course and help deliver the next generation of teachers.”

Commenting, the Welsh Liberal Democrat PPC for Ceredigion Mark Williams said: “The reputation of Aberystwyth University as a well-respected centre of education is rightfully a source of pride for many residents here in Ceredigion.

This is why it is so dis-heartening to hear that the Uni have failed to take the recommendations in the 2023 Estyn report seriously, leading them into the embarrassing position of losing their accreditation which risks delivering a severe blow to the future of Welsh-medium education.

The lack of foresight from the Uni in this regard is deeply worrying and I hope that, for the sake of both the students and the wider community, they take all the steps needed to restart the course at the earliest opportunity.”