Should i report this?

PippiPony

PippiPony

Chocolatier and Greyhound lover
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Another rant as well I suppose.
A couple of weeks ago whilst we were on holiday we took small person to a Farm Park. When we got there the place was almost deserted. It was an "organic dairy farm". So there are weeds that are waist high everywhere.

We walked round with another farming lady we met in the car park (They had an arable farm & horses) & her little girl. The chicken pens were full of nettles. One aviary with parakeets was so full of weeds we thought it had been abandoned & didn't realise there were animals in it!!!
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Then we went to the pets corner & there on the floor was a bay rabbit that had escaped & been killed by one of the farm cats.
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Luckily both children were too small to be upset by this, but it kind of showed that no one had done a pre opening walk around.

Then we went to the fields. The donkeys’ field was bare & no sign of hay – the water looked pretty green & the donkeys looked pretty moth eaten. They clearly had not been groomed for ages.

Then we came to a field where there were 2 cows & about half a dozen calves. One of the cows had a huge sore round her ear & a massive sore on her hip. This really upset me, as she seemed really stiff & uncomfortable. Now I have grown up in the country, round a lot of dairy farms & have been helping with milking since I was little. I know dairy cows do not look pretty & tend to be ribby & bony, but these poor animals looked really poor. In the byre by the café there was a 12-year-old Jersey – obviously in calf who was skin & bone & looked on her last legs. The whole place stank of cow muck & the parlour had still not been properly washed down by the time we left at 12.
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I can’t stop thinking whether I should ring the local council to raise concerns?

The play barn toy tractors were nearly all broken & on the whole the place felt rather neglected.

I know if it is organic then weed killers would not be allowed, but they are charging a lot of money to people – has no one heard of a strimmer?

When finally some one did come out to meet up & “show us around a bit more” we showed them the derad rabbit. She kicked it first, because I don’t think she believed us that it was dead (!) before she took it away.

Plus it was £6 each for us to get in & £4 for small person.

So really should I complain & if so who to? The Local authority?

Gosh sorry this is soo long Victoria sandwich cake with cream to all for getting this far
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I would definitely report it to the local authorities. They are charging people and that in itself would be a concern to them, as it sounds like there are several H@S issues. I would also give DEFRA a ring.
 
Yes in a word, it sounds like the owners are not coping and for the benefit of the animals I would report it before they get worse. They don't sound like an operation ready for the public.
 
I think I would, if it appears that the animals were being neglected. The RSPCA would be a starting point because they are supposed to be into welfare - I know they have had press recently but they can't be all bad. They could check on conditions and make recommendations and hopefully the owners will act on it.
 
I wouldn't bother with the RSPCA, DEFRA have regulations concerning livestock and their care and would be in a much better position to get things sorted.
 
Yes, to Trading Standards.
These people are charging the public to enter unsuitable premises. It's amazing how quickly TS can get things changed. They have a lot of power.
 
I know of a chap from when I lived in Bristol who used to run a mini small-holding type thing as a sideline to his riding school because he got extra funding to do it as a tourist attraction.

Apparently to maximise profit he cut all spending to the farmyard to the extent that he only fed that lambs two bottles of forumla a day. When they got so weak they could not stand up, he got his staff to prop them up against hay bales so visitors would not realise. The staff used to beg for more milk for them but apparently he kept it locked up so they couldn't take more behind his back.

Perhaps this farm is run along the same barbaric, souless capitalistic lines. I hope you are able to report it.
 
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