A FARMER has been sentenced to 24 weeks in prison after breaking laws on tuberculosis testing and registration rules for livestock.

Andrew Newsam, of Dickley Down farm in Cerne Abbas, was given the sentence at Weymouth Magistrates Court after an investigation by Trading Standards.

Newsam had pleaded guilty to five charges of failing to register the birth of a cow on five separate occasions between March 30, 2012 and April 25, 2013 and failing to notify authorities of the deaths of three cows on three separate occasions between February 12, 2013 and June 12, 2013, breaching the Cattle Identification Regulations 2007.

He also pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to provide a cow for tuberculosis testing between October 14 and 19 2013, which breached the Tuberculosis Order 2007.

Magistrates activated a 20-week suspended prison sentence which Newsam had been given in May 2013 after admitting similar offences.

He was also given one week for seven of the offences regarding the birth and deaths of the cattle, to run concurrently with the sentence, two weeks for one death of a cow and another two weeks for failing to provide a cow for tuberculosis testing, to run consecutively to the sentence.

Prosecuting, Miss Morrissey said: “It's very important that these things are done because it's very important that tuberculosis is kept under control and doesn't spread.

“It isn't a minor offence.

“He was told and reminded numerous times he had to register them but the facts are that the defendant failed to register five of his cattle and failed to inform the British Cattle Movement Society of the death of his cattle within seven days of its death.”

Members of the Trading Standards from Dorset County Council had visited the farm and sent letters to Newsam to remind him of his obligations in registering the cattle, Miss Morrissey added.

After sentencing, Mrs Homer, chairman of the magistrates, said: “You have shown a complete disregard for the legal requirements of keeping cattle and the previous court sentence.

“As the offences are so serious, only a custodial sentence would be justified.”

Speaking on behalf of Newsam, Simon Lacey told the magistrates admitted it had been a “catalogue of disasters”.

Mr Lacey said: “It is evident from the paperwork that he acknowledged there was a problem with it. There were a lot of problems with it, it was a catalogue of disasters really.

“But, he was trying to put things right and do things properly.

“He has suffered a traumatic couple of years, he had a brain injury a number of years ago and his brother also died in a car accident last year.

“By making these mistakes he has cost himself because there is an economic issue as you cannot sell an animal on if it hasn't been registered.”

PANEL SPEAKING after the case, Neil Martin, principal Trading Standards Office at Dorset County Council, said: “This sentence sends out a very clear message that the courts will not tolerate farmers who not comply with the legislations.

“He had a relatively small herd of cattle so there was no excuse.

“The really important with registering cattle when one is born and when one dies it's about benchmarking.

“When it's born, you register the animal and that gives it an identification number so when it's moved, you know where it was born and where it has been. If it has tuberculosis, you can then narrow it down to where it may have caught it from.

“All of this is very important because it is about the security to the human food chain.

“The vast majority of farmers in this county are all above board and are fully compliant with the rules and legislations.

“We do appreciate mistakes happen and we do understand so what I would say is if a farmer feels they are struggling with it, come to us, we can help, it's when people persistently refuse to comply and to take up the help and guidance we offer do we take them to court.”