National Trust 'farming hero' who won his tenancy in competition charged with animal health offences

A British shepherd who “absolutely stood out” among international competition to win the tenancy of a National Trust farm has appeared in court charged under the Animal Health Act.

Daniel Jones, 40, was selected from 2,500 applicants to take over the 145-acre Parc Farm on the Great Orme headland above Llandudno, north Wales, for just £1 a year in 2016.

The National Trust had decided to offer the £1 million stretch of land to a “conservation farming hero” as part of its 10-year plan to arrest a precipitous decline in rural wildlife.

Following interest from across the globe - and calls at a rate of more than 100 an hour for days after the scheme was announced - Jones and his family were handed the keys.

This week he came before Llandudno Magistrates’ Court accused of 20 offences relating to livestock, tracing back to his early days on the farm.

Brought under legislation to prevent the spread of animal disease, the charges included failing to dispose of the carcasses of five sheep that had died on his land, failing to ensure that birds or animals would not come into contact with the remains and failing to notify the authorities of sheep he had received on the farm from other locations.

He also faces prosecution for allegedly failing to keep an up-to-date register and inventory of his animals, obstructing a person authorised under the Animal By-Products (Enforcement) Wales Regulations and two charges relating to the movement of sheep from his farm.

Jones pleaded not guilty to all the charges and opted for the case to be heard in the lower court instead of crown court.

His solicitor David Kirwan told the court : "This is an important case in terms of the publicity the trial is likely to attract."

Parc Farm is nestled on the rugged limestone cliffs of north Wales, affording a sweeping vista of the Irish Sea.

The Great Orme headland that wraps around it is home to a broad variety of rare species and habitats, according to the National Trust, some of which exist “nowhere else on Earth”.

The conservation group bought the land in 2015 and leased it to Jones along with grazing right over an additional 720 acres.

The shepherd, who had previously cared for around 1,000 sheep on rented land in nearby Anglesey, moved to the farm with his wife, son and five working dogs in October 2016.

At the time, William Greenwood, a National Trust general manager, said: “Whittling down the applicants to the very best was an exhaustive task, but Dan and his wife absolutely stood out from the crowd.”

Jones was tasked with revitalising the fragile landscape using a “nature-first” approach to farming as wildlife across the country dropped 60% in the past 50 years.

He bought a new flock of sheep with money from the National Trust’s partner conservation charity Plantlife.

Following his win he said: “I couldn’t quite believe it when I got the call to say I was successful. I was in shock.

“This opportunity will change our lives.

“Y Parc is a dream farm, it is such a beautiful location, the views are amazing, and I’m really looking forward to farming in a different way to make a difference for nature.”

Mr Kirwin told the court on Tuesday that Jones had appeared several times on television as a result of his winning bid.

He said the trial would probably last three to five days, with the prosecution calling three witnesses and the defence at least 10, including an expert witness whose statement had not yet been received. The magistrates agreed that the case should be handled by District Judge Gwyn Jones who will hold a pre-trial hearing on January 28.

The National Trust said it was aware of the charges but would not be commenting further.