Pregnant sheep killed by two men at Staffordshire farm
A pregnant sheep was killed when two men slit its throat after trespassing onto a farm in Staffordshire.
The animal was killed on a field near to Mill Lane in Stonnall, near to the Walsall border.
Adam Neachell, the farmer who owns the land, witnessed two men standing over the sheep before they ran away last Wednesday, at around 11am.
Mr Neachell, aged 35 from Aldridge, said: "It was upsetting and worried me that livestock in the field aren't safe."
Around 1,200 ewes graze on the fields over the winter ahead of the lambing season, before they are taken to his main farm, at Shrubbery Farm, in Aldridge.
The ewe was worth £200 while Mr Neachell said the sheep, which he believed was pregnant with two lambs, were worth £100 each.
Recalling the incident, Mr Neachell said he and his shepherd were moving some sheep when he noticed a group congregate together, as if a dog was present on the field.
He said: "We looked up and about 350 to 400 yards away, there was two men stood over one of the sheep.
"They saw us racing over on the quad bike and ran off. They slit its throat and it was basically dying in front of us.
"It died within seconds of us getting there.
"The lad that worked for me shouted after them. I was more concerned with my sheep. They soon ran off. I think he went off on the quad to chase after them, after we dealt with the ewe.
"They were long gone and weren't anywhere to be seen."
Mr Neachell said Staffordshire Police is investigating the incident.
He said he has colleagues and friends in the industry who have had similar incidents, and said the killing of livestock was on the rise.
