A Blaenporth farmer who left animals to die and sheep carcasses strewn across fields has been jailed for “serious and prolonged ill treatment and neglect of farm animals”.

Toby William Holland, of Maengwyn, was found guilty in his absence of 10 charges in February last year, and was finally sentenced for the crimes at Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Court on 6 January.

Following the trial on 3 February last year, a court warrant was issued for Holland’s arrest, and he was arrested by police in December.

The district judge heard in February that animal welfare officers from the Ceredigion County Council Public Protection team visited the farm on 29 January 2019 and found “a number of animal welfare issues”.

A sheep was found to be lying on its back unable to move and it was “evident that it had been there for some time”.

Despite requesting that Holland seek veterinary assistance for the animal, a visit the following day had found that he failed to seek treatment for the animal and left it to die.

He was found guilty for the unnecessary suffering of this sheep.

During the visit, animal welfare officers found a barn containing 19 pigs “shrieking for food”.

“The pigs were very thin and kept in an accumulation of muck with no dry lying area available,” the court heard.

Within the pen were two dead pigs to which the live pigs had access.

A post-mortem of one of the dead pigs found that the animal had likely died of starvation.

The veterinarian from the Animal and Plant Health Agency concluded that both the dead and live pigs had been suffering unnecessarily.

Holland was also found guilty of failing to meet the needs of the animals, by failing to provide a dry lying area for the pigs.

The visit on 29 January also found a number of sheep carcasses strewn across the fields.

“It was clear that they had been there for some time, and the live sheep had access to the same field,” the court heard.

The district judge found Holland guilty of failing to dispose of the carcasses.

A follow up visit on 30 May last year found the pigs were kept in a field where they had access to plastic bags, metal sheeting with sharp edges, and animal bones and skulls.

Holland was found guilty of not providing a suitable environment for the pigs.

Sheep carcasses were once again found in Holland’s fields.

Holland was jailed for 18 weeks and banned from keeping animals for two years.

He must also pay costs of £750.

Following sentencing, Cllr Gareth Lloyd, Ceredigion council Cabinet member for public protection services, said: “The majority of farmers in Ceredigion have excellent farming practices that ensure the highest standards of animal welfare.

“Unfortunately we must deal with a minority who fail to meet basic legal standards.”