Five cows that were subjected to the “worst neglect ever seen” had to be killed according to a council because they were deemed to be a threat to the public.
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A number of cattle on Penffynnon Farm in the Bangor Teifi area of Ceredigion were rounded up over the weekend after they were made the subject of a court order depriving their previous owners of the right to keep animals.
Those brothers, David Davies, aged 61, and Evan Meirion Davies, aged 50, both of Penffynnon Farm, were jailed last month for refusing to comply with a five-year banning order.
It had been placed upon them after they subjected cattle to what magistrates described as “horrendous suffering” and in conditions which were described by Ceredigion Council as “truly shocking”.
After the order was made, responsibility for the animals passed to the council.
According to one Ceredigion resident who was near the farm on the weekend, men were seen walking around the land with guns, and shots were heard.
They claimed the cows were “petrified” and ran in the opposite direction in fear.
The council itself has confirmed that a number of cattle were rounded up and taken elsewhere to be tested and tagged. However, they also confirmed that five cows were “humanely dispatched” on the land because they were “increasingly aggressive” and “dangerous”.
When pressed, they would not confirm or deny that the cows were shot dead.
A spokeswoman for Ceredigion Council said: “We can confirm that five cows were humanely dispatched at Penffynnon Farm over the weekend.
“Considerable efforts had been made over many days to corral and transfer the animals into a holding centre to be TB tested and tagged.
“The court had made an order depriving the Davies brothers of ownership of all their cattle, passing the responsibility for the animals on to the local authority. All but five of the animals have been safely transferred to a feeding station.
“However, the remaining horned animals proved impossible to contain. They presented as increasingly aggressive, charging and dangerous, putting the welfare of contractors, staff and the public at risk.
“We had no option but to reluctantly authorise their destruction.”
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David Davies and Evan Meirion Davies were both imprisoned for 24 weeks when they appeared at Aberystwyth Magistrates Court on February 25.
As well as the prison sentences, they were ordered to pay a surcharge of £122 to fund victim services on top of costs of £425.
They were also ordered to reimburse Ceredigion Council for the expenses incurred in carrying out the court orders.
