A father and son have been jailed for what a judge described on Monday as one of the worst cases in the UK or Ireland of animal cruelty on a farm.
Seventy-five animals had to be put down on their farm at Saintfield, south of Belfast, a court was told.
Stanley Porter, aged 80, and his 44-year-old son, also called Stanley, were convicted in Downpatrick magistrates court on animal cruelty charges.
Sentencing the pair to four months in prison, the judge said: “It’s one of the worst cases of cruelty in Northern Ireland or anywhere in these islands.”
The Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland also said it was one of the worst cases they had seen.
Inspectors at the farm found rotting carcasses and animals that were not being properly fed and watered or being given dry areas on which to lie.
Danny Gray, the head of enforcement at the agriculture department, said: “This was a shocking case of animal neglect and animal suffering. Today’s sentence sends out a clear message that those who neglect animals will be pursued.
The farmers had been previously warmed about the state of animal welfare on their farm two years ago, the court heard.
