A FARMER has been banned for life from keeping livestock after being convicted of nine animal welfare charges against cattle.
Ashley Shirlaw, 50, of Bunts Hill, Porchfield, had pleaded not guilty to the offences but was convicted by Island magistrates following a two-day trial.
Shirlaw had previously been convicted in 2001 and again in 2003 of a string of animal welfare charges.
Magistrates found Shirlaw failed to ensure his animals had an adequate supply of drinking water, he failed to protect them from the threat of injury and did not ensure they had access to an area which was well-drained or had dry bedding.
He also failed to ensure the cattle were fed adequately, failed to comply with ear tag regulations and caused unnecessary suffering to the livestock.
He was found not guilty of two further welfare charges.
A further charge relating to Shirlaw not being acquainted with the code of practice relating to the welfare of farmed animals was dismissed.
For Shirlaw, Keith Verrinder told the court his client had been 'caught on the hop’ by inspectors but conditions had improved by the time of a second visit, just three days later.
Magistrates ordered Shir-law to complete 300 hours of unpaid work. He was disqualified for life from keeping animals, with the exception of poultry.
Speaking after the case, IW Council trading standards animal health and welfare enforcement officer Claire Draper said: "We are delighted with the outcome of the hearing and feel the sentence reflects both the seriousness and the history of animal health and welfare offences committed by Ashley Shirlaw.
"We began investigating Bunts Hill Piggery in Nov-ember 2008, the third investigation undertaken by this office in the last ten years concerning animals kept by Mr Shirlaw. We found emaciated cattle, cattle without water, cattle and sheep kept in unsuitable conditions and breaches of cattle identification legislation," she said.