Im not defending the farmer but i cant get my head round this article. Brian Belfield, 71, ignored expert advice to help Scamp’s severe injury for seven months. So Mr Belfield knew that the dog needed treatment, but also somebody else knew that the dog needed treatment, but did nothing for seven months, yet they are not responsible. Once he had failed to return the dog the following week, surely that should have triggered action to check the welfare of the dog either by the Vet or RSPCA, and the dog should have been taken from him and treated quickly to avoid SEVEN months of suffereing.

If the dog had been kept by Belfield after breaking its leg and had not been seen by a Vet, then i have no problem with the conviction and a ban from keeping animals, but this animal had been seen by a Vet with a serious injury, and had not been returned the following week for further treatment, it was calls made in October from the Public that caused the RSPCA to get involved.

It looks like to me that there is either no system in place, or a failure in the system to check on animals with injuries that HAVE come to the attention of Vets but have not been returned for follow up treatment to serious injuries.