He has been convicted of animal cruelty after dozens of animals were found emaciated, neglected and dying after repeated welfare failures
A north Dorset farmer has been convicted of animal cruelty and banned from keeping sheep after dozens of animals were found living in severe neglect, with some dying as a result of poor conditions.
Nigel Anthony Turner, 56, of Ryme Intrinseca near Sherborne, pleaded guilty to 19 offences at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court. The charges followed a series of welfare inspections carried out by Dorset Council’s Trading Standards service and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
The court heard that concerns were first raised in January 2025, when Trading Standards received a complaint about the condition of sheep being kept in a field at Ansty. An initial site visit found 140 sheep grazing on land with very little available feed and no evidence of any supplementary food being provided.
Many of the animals were described as emaciated and in poor condition. Eleven sheep were already deceased. During the inspection, officers found one lamb trapped in a water-filled ditch and two ewes close to death.
A veterinary officer from APHA was called to the scene. One ewe was euthanised due to the severity of its condition, and the trapped lamb later died during examination. The vet instructed Mr Turner to provide immediate care and shelter to another ewe that was unable to stand. However, when Trading Standards officers and the vet returned the following morning, the ewe had not been moved and had died.
Further concerns were identified during follow-up visits. Several rams were being kept in the same field, leading to indiscriminate breeding, including ewes being in lamb at an age deemed too young.
Guilty
On a return visit on 4th February 2025, officers found that many sheep remained in poor condition, with some well below acceptable bodyweight. Several animals were also not ear-tagged, a legal requirement for sheep identification. Mr Turner was asked to provide movement and medicine records for the flock but failed to do so.
Despite his guilty plea at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court on 28th October 2025, further welfare checks carried out ahead of sentencing found continued issues, including lame and underweight sheep.
Reflecting the seriousness of the offences, the court imposed a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. Mr Turner was also ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge and £500 towards prosecution costs within 56 days. In addition, he was banned from owning or keeping sheep for a period of two years.
Appalling, shocking case
Local sheep farmer Ali Tory said the case was deeply distressing, but stressed that it did not reflect normal farming practice: ‘Fortunately, cases like this are rare – most farmers care very deeply for their livestock,’ she says. ‘We also spend long hours keeping records up to date, as required by law. It’s extremely distressing to see animals subjected to these conditions, and I commend Trading Standards for pursuing a conviction in this case.
‘There is always a risk of fresh fodder running low after a dry summer or a hard winter, but allowing animals in your care to deteriorate to this extent is simply not acceptable. The condition of the sheep clearly shows the land was overstocked, and the continued lack of action even after vets and inspectors attended the site is deeply concerning.’
Cllr Gill Taylor, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Prevention, Cllr Gill Taylor, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Prevention said: ‘The vast majority of livestock keepers in Dorset care passionately about their animals and so it is very disappointing and frustrating when cases like this happen.
‘This was an appalling and shocking case of animal neglect, and we will not tolerate such acts of cruelty.
‘Our trading standards team will investigate cases like this thoroughly and take steps to ensure they are not repeated.’
You can report suspected notifiable animal diseases and urgent concerns about farm animal welfare issues 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 03000 200 301
