A LEYLAND farmer has been fined for flouting regulations designed to prevent the spread of BSE and other diseases.

At South Ribble Magistrates Court last week Fred Carter, of Ulnes Walton, pleaded guilty to three charges relating to the movement of cattle and false entries on an auction entry form .

The 62-year-old was fined £500 and ordered to pay £420.67 costs. The offences related to Carter's failure to keep a record of cattle movements between April and August 1998 when 15 cattle were either moved on or off his land without having their unique eartag numbers recorded in his movement book.

Regulation 29 of the Cattle Identification Regulations 1998 require a record of all movement so that animals which have spent time on land where cases of BSE and other diseases have broken out, can be traced quickly. Carter was also charged under the Trade Descriptions Act for recording a false date of birth on a cow's passport at auction.

He entered an age of 21 months for an animal but a post mortem revealed it to be nearer 45 months - and current regulations only allow cattle under 30 months to be slaughtered.

Carter's solicitor revealed that the proceeds from the sale of the cow were returned to the buyer and that his client did not know the cow was so old, maintaining a mistake must have been made in the paperwork.

He also described his failure to keep records as an administrative slip-up and pointed out the fact that there had never been a record of BSE on his land.

A spokesperson for LCC's Trading Standards department said: "The movement regulations and cattle passports are there to make sure we can combat outbreaks of diseases quickly and effectively and to ensure meat is BSE free.

"Where we find people breaking these regulations - for whatever reason - we will always prosecute."

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