In-lamb pedigree ewe butchered in field

Police have launched an investigation after thieves shot and butchered an in-lamb pedigree ewe in a field in Carmarthenshire.


It is believed a shotgun was used to kill the animal at Llwyncrwn Farm, Penybont.


Katy Davies, daughter of the owners, Ken and Julie Earle, made the gruesome discovery. Ms Davies headed to the field after she noticed crows circling above it.


“All that was left was the skeleton, all the meat had been taken cleanly off the bones and even the twin lambs the ewe was carrying were gone. All that was left was the fleece,” said Ms Davies, an agricultural student at Gelli Aur College, Carmarthenshire.


“The fleece was in perfect condition, but with a hole in it from the gunshot wounds. Whoever did this had experience of butchering animals.”


The animal had been wormed three weeks previously with a product that has a 65-day withdrawal period meaning the meat is not fit for human consumption.


It is the second time in two months that the farm has been targeted. In November, an award-winning North Country Cheviot disappeared from the field it was grazing and has never been recovered.


The ram was part of the reserve interbreed group at the Royal Welsh Show in 2012 and its loss is a big blow to the farm.


“From a breeding point of view he was priceless to us, but his market value would be about £3,000,” Ms Davies added.


CCTV cameras are now being installed to deter criminals.


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