A woman has been ordered to pay over £1,400 after pleading guilty to animal welfare offences and failure to dispose of fallen livestock.
Margaret Darlington, from Hickstead, pleaded guilty to the four charges at Worthing Magistrates Court on earlier in February.
She was issued four fines of £250 and made to pay £1,385.57 in costs as well as a £100 victim surcharge following an investigation by West Sussex Trading Standards.
Officers found cattle grazing in areas littered with scrap metal. They also discovered carcases that had been left for months without being disposed of properly.
In mitigation, Ms Darlington said she had made arrangements that someone would look after the cattle and was under the impression they were doing everything correctly.
She claimed it was only during the investigation that she realised what was happening.
Peter Aston, Trading Standards Team Manager, said: “It was Ms Darlington’s responsibility to make sure the animals were kept correctly regardless of any arrangements she had made.
“Carcasses left to rot in the fields risk the spread of disease and that cannot be allowed to happen.
“I hope this case serves as a warning to others keeping livestock to ensure they are cared for and that fallen stock is disposed of correctly.”
