Animal welfare officers who rescued a truckload of calves being transported in poor conditions have been praised by Doncaster’s deputy mayor.
Coun Cynthia Ransome said: “This was an appalling way to treat those calves. My thanks go to the diligent officers who brought these people to justice.
“The conditions our officers discovered on the vehicle were totally unacceptable. We have no hesitation in prosecuting businesses who try and save costs at the expense of animals’ welfare.”
A joint South Yorkshire operation saw the driver and owner of a haulage company prosecuted and fined for poor welfare conditions on a consignment of calves transported across Europe from Barcelona.
The vehicle containing 147 calves was stopped on the A1(M) at Sprotbrough by a team of animal health officers from the four South Yorkshire authorities, with the assistance of police. The calves were found to be too young to travel and insufficient feed, water and rest periods had been provided.
The animals were moved to a resting station north of Doncaster where suitable feed and water was provided, before being allowed to continue the journey to Ireland.
The driver, Colm Hanratty, from Armagh, Northern Ireland, was fined £1,600 by Doncaster magistrates with costs of £1605.40 and victim surcharge of £15. The haulier, Dermot Conroy, from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, was fined a total of £8,000 with £1605.42 costs and victim surcharge of £15, for animal welfare offences.
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