TWO butchered carcasses, believed to be beef calves, have been discovered at the side of a back road between Cumnock and New Cumnock, in Ayrshire.

Liz Dunn, a farmer's daughter from Cumnock, who came across the remains on Monday morning, suggested that they had been killed to be used as dog food.

The A76 road between Cumnock and New Cumnock is currently shut for roadworks, and so the back road is being used as a diversion for drivers while repairs are being made.

Mrs Dunn explained: "I was following the diversion on Monday morning, and I noticed the pile at the side of the road on my way past, but a school bus was behind me and so I didn't want to draw attention to it.

"On my way back, I stopped and looked to see what was there, and it was the remains of what looked like a Charolais and Limousin calf, both of which can't have been more than a week old."

Mrs Dunn reported that only parts of the bodies remained, including the two heads, feet and intestines. She also said that she believes the butchering was done by a professional.

"The cuts were really clean, obviously made with a meat cleaver, so this job was done professionally. I reckon the meat has been used for dog food, as there was an empty bag of dog food lying beside the carcasses, and raw meat is so expensive to purchase.

"I think it's a complete shame, because that is someone's livelihood, and people don't seem to consider that. A farmer passes our road every single day, regardless of the weather, and works hard to keep his business going, and then somebody does something like that, it's just awful," she said.

Mrs Dunn reported the discovery to the local police, and the site was checked out by local officers from Cumnock Police Office – who concluded that they were actually deer carcasses: "Tragically this is a common find in the rural community," said a Police spokesman.

However, Mrs Dunn was adamant that the carcasses were definitely not deer, but calves, and responded: "I think it's a shame that in this day and age, our local police force don't know the difference between deer and cattle, and if they were unsure, they should have asked a local butcher or farmer to clarify what the animals were.

"I just can't help but wonder if the police will ever take the severity of livestock theft seriously, when they can't even tell the difference between a calf and a deer."