FIELD BUTCHERS have struck in a County Durham field, slaughtering four sheep on site, stealing their carcases and casting aside their innards and heads.
The grisly crime was discovered by the flock's owner at 10am on Monday morning (June 14). The farmer – who wished to keep his name out of print for now – told The Scottish Farmer that the sheep taken were from a field where he had set them aside for veterinary treatment, and all were currently dosed with various vet medicines and most definitely not fit for human consumption.
"It's just a small hobby flock of Mule gimmer shearlings I've got these days, just 30 of them, and I had eight of them in this particular field. All had been dipped the week before with Heptovac, all had just been treated with pour-on for parasites, and two of the sheep taken were on a course of antibiotics.
"Whoever has sold them on, as black market meat, someone is going to have a right bad stomach."
On visiting the field, near Bishop Auckland, on Monday morning, the farmer noticed that only four of the eight sheep came to the gate, and soon afterwards found the discarded head of one of the missing animals. On investigating further, he found the slaughter waste of the other three wrapped in cheap bed linen and thrown into bushes further up the field.
Police have since begun door-to-door enquiries locally, including fast food outlets.
"I just want to publicise this so that other farmers in the area know that these criminals are active here," he said, "and to maybe warn anyone who is offered some cheap meat that they might want to think twice about eating it, or serving it to others," said the farmer.