A TIVYSIDE farmer has won a two-year legal battle that was threatening his very livelihood.

Following on from initial TB testing of his herd of cattle back in early May, 2016, farmer Hefin Owen, of Blaenant Farm, Newcastle Emlyn, has been cleared of a string of charges relating to animal welfare breaches and administering noxious material to his own cattle in the course of tampering with the TB tests.

His cattle were initially placed under restrictions after the tests, and then Animal and Plant Health Authority (APHA) officials accused him of tampering.

The compensation payment for the animals was stopped and his dairy farm faced financial ruin.

The 26-year-old farmer called on the expert legal advice of Aled Owen of Harrison Clark Rickerbys, whose broad experience of farming issues was invaluable – he, with counsel Sara Lisa Howe and experts Robert Price Jones and Guda Van der Burgh, worked on the case extensively and with great technical thoroughness.

District Judge David Parsons, sitting at Aberystwyth Magistrates' Court, found Mr Owen not guilty of all offences when the case finally came to court after his defence team was able to demonstrate over a five-day hearing the failure of the prosecution to prove their case and fundamental flaws in their evidence.

The judge commented in his verdict on these failures directly as having led to such a protracted case, which was brought by Ceredigion County Council.

After the verdict, Mr Owen said: “If it had not been for Aled Owen and Harrison Clark Rickerbys supporting me and my family, I am certain we would not have had the result which we worked and hoped so much for.

“It has had a big effect on us as a family. It will take a while to restock and get back.”

Aled Owen said that he was so pleased for the family, adding: “This case highlights the need for early technical advice from someone who has experience of the industry.

“These are complex matters and if not prepared correctly, with identification of the right experts and appropriate strategy, then they can go wrong. It is also important not blindly to accept scientific evidence but to challenge and evaluate what it purports to show and what it really demonstrates.”