Hexham Mart fined for cattle movement breaches

The business was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £2065 in costs when representatives pleaded guilty to 16 offences when they appeared before Newcastle Magistrates Court.

Northumberland Trading Standards animal health inspectors found the company had not only breached livestock standstill rules when moving cattle in to and out of fields and lairage sheds it owns, but had failed to record cattle movements and provided false information to the British Cattle Movement Service.

In January and February this year, inspectors checked cattle in the lairage shed at Anick, Hexham. Ear tags were read and animal histories were reviewed on the Cattle Tracing System's national cattle database. It was found that many groups of cattle had been recorded as being on different holdings owned by the mart – meaning the Anick lairage shed would remain free of the ‘six day standstill’ rule.

That six day standstill regulation was put in place following the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001, to help prevent the spread of any future disease outbreaks.

Northumberland County Council's business compliance and public safety manager, David Sayer, said: “The six day standstill is there for the benefit of the whole farming industry and our job is to ensure it is adhered to.

“These controls came in after the outbreak in 2001 which had a huge negative effect on farming and tourism businesses in the county. Hexham Mart have broken the disease control order and it was entirely appropriate that they were prosecuted.

“Accurate record keeping is the cornerstone to stopping the spread of disease, should there be another outbreak, and it is essential that everyone involved in keeping, selling and moving animals keeps accurate and up to date records," said Mr Sayer.

Managing director at Hexham Mart, Robert Addison, was unavailable for comment as The Scottish Farmer went to press on Wednesday. A spokesman at the Hexham NFU office said she was “not allowed to comment” on the matter.