Dairy farmer given suspended prison term over slurry offences

A Somerset dairy farmer has been given a 14-week suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay £10,000 costs after he persistently allowed slurry to run off into a stream near his farm.

David Bartlett of Upcott Dairy Farm, Sampford Arundel, Wellington, appeared for sentencing at Taunton Magistrates' Court on July 18 after previously pleading guilty to three offences relating to pollution of the Westford stream, a tributary of the River Tone.

Mr Bartlett was also ordered to pay £154 victim surcharge.

In a case brought by the Environment Agency (EA), the court heard the farm had a long history of failing to properly contain slurry and had been warned several times for causing pollution of the waterway.

Officers from the agency had installed remote monitoring equipment on the stream which confirmed regular pollution events were continuing to occur in October 2022. By December, the data showed significant amounts of sewage fungus contaminating the bed of the watercourse, as well as colonies of bloodworm which were evident upstream.

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Officers also noted a ditch near to the farm which was discharging a significant amount of effluent with the appearance and smell of slurry. The source was quickly traced to an overflowing underground slurry tank on Upcott Dairy Farm.

Mr Bartlett was also found to be using a simple pipe to dispose of slurry in a single location and although not discharging slurry at the time of the pollution event inspection, officers said it was clear there was significant contamination of slurry around the end of the pipe and evidence that slurry had tracked down the field toward the Westford stream.

According to the EA, Mr Bartlett had failed, despite repeated warnings, to install slurry storage facilities that would allow slurry to be stored during winter when ground conditions were unsuitable.

Mr Bartlett submitted a statement to the Environment Agency in which he made limited admissions, implying others, such as his neighbour and the local authority were responsible. He denied deliberately pumping slurry into the watercourse.

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Overseeing proceedings, Judge Brereton said there were significant aggravating features in the case, including previous warnings to the farmer, his failure to carry out proper checks or make structural improvements despite having received funds from the Rural Payments Agency to pay for infrastructure that would improve the environment.

David Womack senior environment officer at the EA said: "This farmer has caused numerous pollution incidents and he has repeatedly failed to acknowledge the advice given or to improve the facilities for storing or properly using slurry.

"We hope Mr Bartlett will now work with us to voluntarily improve the facilities. If he does not, we will not hesitate to use other legislative powers to reduce the risk of further pollution."