Two Staffordshire farming families have been ordered to pay £23,000 in fines and costs for breaching cattle identification and movement rules relating to bovine tuberculosis.

A.J & E.J Minshall, of Benthouse Farm, Tean, and G.D Atkin of Fields Farm, Leigh, were sentenced to the offences at Cannock Magistrates court.

81-year-old Anthony John Minshall and 55-year-old Edward John Minshall admitted to charges of moving two cattle onto their farm when they were restricted due to TB Controls.

Edward John Minshall also admitted changing the identity of the two cattle, declaring animals with the original identities dead in hope that officials would not find out.

Staffordshire County Council's Trading Standards Animal Health team made the discovery during a routine TB Test in 2018.

At the time, 73-year-old George David Atkin was rearing dairy heifers for the Minshalls in Tean.

In court, he also admitted to allowing two cattle to move off his farm to the Minshalls in breach of TB restrictions and falsely recording them as dead.

Mr Atkin has since retired from farming.

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Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Trading Standards at Staffordshire County Council said: "Animal diseases such as bovine tuberculosis and BSE cost the farmers and taxpayers huge amounts of money and can have a devastating effect on herds that have been built up over many generations.

"It's vital that livestock keepers stick to these rules and ensure they don't put the livestock industry at risk."

The case was heard at Cannock Magistrates court on 20 October 2022.