THE decomposing bodies and skeletons of cows and sheep were found on a Ribble Valley farm when animal health inspectors and ministry vets visited over a five-month period.

A pile of cows' skulls and bones were found under a plastic sheet in one building and the carcasses of other animals were found half-buried in their own excrement.

Live animals were found shoulder deep in slurry and despite vets' warnings, farmer Graham Gott did nothing to remedy the situation.

Blackburn magistrates heard that on the final visit to Harrop Lodge Farm, Slaidburn, the bodies of four cows and 15 sheep had been found in various states of decay.

Gott, 49, pleaded guilty to five offences under the Animal Health Act of failing to remove carcasses as soon as possible, omitting to act thereby resulting in unnecessary suffering, two offences of permitting unnecessary suffering, three offences of contravening cattle identification regulations and one offence of obstructing a local authority inspector or constable. A further 12 summonses were withdrawn.

The magistrates adjourned the case until August 9 for the preparation of pre-sentence reports.

Nicholas McNamara, prosecuting on behalf of Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Department, said that when inspectors visited the farm on October 29 last year, they found four cattle carcasses and Gott was advised that many of his other animals needed special care. A brown calf was specifically pointed out to the owner.

The inspectors returned the following day to carry out a more detailed inspection and found the carcasses of eight cattle. The bones of a cow were found under a trailer and the carcasses of a cow and a calf were found on another trailer. "Inside one building the inspectors found a pile of skulls and body parts which were partly covered by a plastic sheet," said Mr McNamara. "An inspection on November 6 revealed another four carcasses and one of them was the brown calf which Gott had been told needed specialist care."

A post mortem examination of the calf revealed sever debilitation due to lung worm and secondary pneumonia and severe liver fluke - a parasitic worm infection.

A MAF vet who visited the farm found that the animals still alive had great difficulty moving around due to the depth of slurry in which they were kept. Some of the calves were up to their shoulders.

"From the position of some of the carcasses it was apparent that many of the animals had died where they had laid and had been subjected to pain and suffering," said Mr McNamara.

When interviewed about the offences Gott revealed that in the ten years since he had taken over the farm from his father he had never arranged for a vet to visit.

Duncan Nightingale, defending, asked the magistrates to adjourn for reports so they could have a fuller picture before sentencing Gott.

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