Enforcement work by Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standards has resulted in a suspended sentence for a shepherd who committed animal welfare and farming standards offences, leaving the decaying carcasses of sheep to rot in his fields.
Jonathon Hornsby Simpson (39), trading as Jon’s Shepherding, had already been convicted in April 2023 of 13 animal welfare and farming standards offences.
Simpson had failed to comply with restrictions on animal by-products; over many years he had dumped a large number of dead sheep on a muck heap, leaving them to decay. The fields which he worked were strewn with sheep bones. Simpson also failed to keep adequate records, including an up-to-date register of animals, records of animal movements, and a record of veterinary medicines detailing when they were purchased, administered, or disposed of.
At the time, he was sentenced to a 12-month community order, including completion of a 15-day rehabilitation requirement. He was also ordered to pay £2,000 towards the prosecution’s costs as well as thousands of pounds for the appropriate removal of the muck heap and animal by-products.
During a further inspection on 9 October 2023, Trading Standards Officers found that no improvements had been made and that Simpson had failed to act on any of the court’s findings or advice.
Simpson again failed to keep and provide an up-to-date flock register and also failed to produce animal by-product commercial documents when required to do so. He was also still failing to keep veterinary medicine records.
Following a hearing at Oxford Crown Court on 17 January 2025, HHJ Pringle KC sentenced Simpson to a seven-month custodial sentence suspended for two years.
Councillor Dr Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety, said: “I would like to thank our Trading Standards team for their efforts in bringing about this prosecution.
“Animal welfare legislation exists for very good reasons: to control disease, protect animals, and ensure the safety of the wider food chain. These offences put all of that at risk. The recent detection of foot and mouth disease in Germany is a prime example.
“Prosecutions like this are a testament to the tireless efforts of our Trading Standards team in protecting residents and businesses in Oxfordshire.”
Jody Kerman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Head of Trading Standards, Prevention and Protection, said: “The vast majority of farmers work to the highest standards; we will continue to support them.
“The small minority who seek to bypass the rules not only put the integrity of the food chain at risk and increase the risk of disease spread, but also gain an unfair advantage over our hard-working farmers.
“As one of the most rural counties in the southeast of England, an uncontrolled animal disease outbreak would have a hugely damaging impact on people’s lives and our local economy. Simpson’s sheer ignorance and total disregard for the law could have had dire consequences.
“While we have some of the best farmers in the business in Oxfordshire, the Trading Standards team will not hesitate to tackle those who put the health and wellbeing of our residents and rural communities at risk.”
