Farmer’s animal ban over welfare breach

COURT: Blairgowrie man avoids prison for causing suffering to scores of cattle and sheep

A Tayside farmer has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years over a “flagrant” breach of welfare legislation.

Inspectors found more than 50 decomposing sheep in fields, sheds, a trailer and a wheelie bin on G&A Pattullo’s land in Lintrathen, Angus, in 2013.

George Pattullo, from Blairgowrie, was sentenced at Forfar Sheriff Court yesterday after he admitted causing unnecessary suffering to 19 cattle and around 250 sheep between December 1 2012 and April 25 2013.

And the 67-year-old avoided prison because a sheriff considered the maximum six-month term an “inappropriate penalty”.

Imposing the maximum 300 hours of unpaid work as part of a community payback order, Sheriff Gregor Murray told Pattullo that society “expects a high quality of animal husbandry” at its farms.

“Those expectations have been set in parliament by the Act under which you have pled guilty,” he said.

“This constitutes a flagrant, very serious breach of those provisions.

“Had it not been for the fact that the maximum custodial sentence would be six months, I would have had no hesitation to impose one.

“But with the likelihood of that being reduced to three months, that is an inappropriate penalty for the scale of what you have breached.

“As a direct alternative to custody, I will impose a disqualification order for a period of 10 years.

“I will also make an order you may not make an application for the termination of that order for a minimum of three years.”

As the Birch Crescent family owns cats and dogs, the sheriff excluded these from the order.

Pattullo further admitted a number of failures under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 – seeking attention for animals suffering from liver fluke, parasitic gastroenteritis, and lice infestation; providing adequate nutrition and water over winter leading to a very high mortality rate; removing carcasses and placing animals at risk of infection; providing dry bedding and a drained area; and providing adequate grazing, a suitable diet and fresh water.

The Crown had earlier accepted not guilty pleas from the accused’s wife, Allison, who was originally a co-accused.

After sentencing, Pattullo said the prolonged court action had been draining.

“This has been the worst time of my life,” he said.

“We’ll never get these four years back.”

Blairgowrie farmer George Pattullo was banned from keeping animals for 10 years.

George and Allison Pattullo at their farm at Middle Coull, near Lintrathen, Angus, during the lambing season in spring 2000.