Evercreech farmer guilty of illegal animal movement

AN elderly Somerset farmer has been ordered to pay more than £11,000 by a court for illegally moving animals from his farm without carrying out the relevant tests.

Trevor Bolton, 70, of Brookfield Farm, in Leighton Lane, Evercreech, pleaded guilty at Taunton Magistrates' Court to four charges in the case brought by Trading Standards.

Bolton admitted moving a total of 12 bovine animals from his farm without their having had a skin test no more than 60 days before the date of movement and there had been no negative results read by an inspector.