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Defra and police are investigating new animal welfare allegations relating to a farm in North Cornwall.
A beef farmer at Colebrook Lodge farm, near Stratton just outside Bude, has allegedly been spotted and filmed kicking some of his cows in the abdomen, face and legs while trying to herd them onto a trailer.
In footage obtained by CornwallLive, which dates back to October 11-12, the farmer can also allegedly be seen twisting their tails, lashing out and shouting expletives at the animals.
The eyewitness who shared the footage with us said that the farmer is understood to have made several trips on that Saturday and Sunday, to collect cattle.
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She also claimed that the last seven cows stayed on the muddy track where the farmer collected and kicked the other animals while loading them onto the trailer, without food or water for 17 hours.
The concerned eyewitness told us she also shared the footage with Cornwall Council's Trading Standards, Devon and Cornwall Police as well as Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), which is an agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Both Devon and Cornwall Police and APHA have confirmed they have launched an investigation into the animal welfare allegations.
A spokesperson for the police force confirmed that its rural team had been made aware of allegations that the farmer from Colebrook Lodge farm had been spotted kicking and hitting a cow during the incident a few weeks back.
They said: "We are aware of matters raised in the Bude area. Devon and Cornwall Police will record animal welfare matters and work closely with our partners and assist with investigations where required."
A spokesperson for Defra - the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - also confirmed that the APHA, which comes under its jurisdiction, is investigating the claims.
They said: "We can confirm that APHA are investigating this farm near Bude on claims of animal abuse."
Colebrook Lodge farm is owned by David Walter who was a sheep farmer for decades, until his grandson Aaron took over around 18 months ago and switched to beef farming.
We emailed the video footage to Mr Walter and his grandson at Colebrook Lodge farm so they could have a look at the film and tell us their side.
We spoke to David Walter and he said he was aware of the incident and told us that Defra and their vet had come to the farm and showed him and his grandson Aaron the footage.
He said the vet told them not to kick the cows again but also that whilst not always best practice, it is something cattle farmers sometimes have to resort to doing as cows and bulls are very large stubborn animals who will not just go up a ramp with a "please and thank you".
"We had the vet up here," he said. "He said it was all OK. Defra came and made a note of it. The vet said everyone does it at times to keep the animals under control. If you're handling cattle you have to be tough to take control. You can't all be nicey lovey all the time or you wouldn't get anywhere. You can't just say 'please get up the ramp'. It won't work."
We also spoke to Aaron and he said that he doesn't beat up his animals with sticks or plastic pipes or mistreat them but said that on occasion you have to assert who is the boss or a large stubborn animal will hurt you. He said: "I just had a half tonne cow back up into me. The cow turned back on me and would have crushed me if I hadn't asserted it.
"We are honest farmers doing our job. My grandparents and I have done nothing wrong."
He also sent us a copy of the report Defra's vet wrote following their most recent visit in connection with the alleged incident. It says that they have found "no non-compliance with current animal welfare legislation" meaning the alleged incident is not seen as a breach of the legislation under the circumstances.
It is the third farm in Cornwall to be investigated by APHA over animal welfare allegations.
Last week we revealed how Polshea Farm in St Tudy and at Trevear Farm, near Penzance, west Cornwall, which are both dairy farms, also came to be investigated by APHA after activist, filmmaker and investigator Joey Carbstrong released a YouTube documentary highlighting what he claims are recurrent incidents of animal cruelty taking place at the two dairy farms.
The secretly obtained footage collected in 2022 and again in April this year shows cows being whipped with plastic tubes, prodded in the rectum. On some occasions, workers can also be seen punching, slapping and kicking cows while calves have also been dragged and pushed.
At Polshea Farm, forklift tractors were also shown to be allegedly used to drag or herd sick cows risking serious injury while the animals have also been seen to be struck with sharp objects to make them compliant. Dead cows were claimed to have been left to rot next to live animals for days.
Mr Carbstrong told CornwallLive that the 2022 secret footage was obtained by animal rights campaigners at Trevear Farm near Penzance between September and October and at Polshea Farm between October and November and passed on to to him as he has a public profile and platform in a bid to expose what he says is a " culture of abuse".
After the practices allegedly continued, he travelled to Cornwall to face the farmers in April this year and highlight the practices which he believes will shock many consumers.
As a result of his film, Saputo Dairy UK owners of the Davidstow Creamery in north Cornwall which produces Cathedral City, confirmed that Polshea Farm would no longer supply their milk to them while its own investigation is under way.
As a result of his film, Saputo Dairy UK owners of the Davidstow Creamery in north Cornwall which produces Cathedral City, confirmed that Polshea Farm will no longer supply their milk to them while its own investigation is under way.
The Defra spokesperson confirmed that both farms are under investigation by APHA.
Anyone who has serious concerns about the welfare of livestock is urged to immediately report them to APHA to allow prompt investigation. England: telephone 03000 200 301 or email [email protected]
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