A farm manager appeared in court yesterday and pleaded guilty to three charges of cruelty to animals relating to an incident last year in which he removed the horns of three cattle beasts without the use of anaesthetic.

Stuart John McDougal, 51, admitted to removing the horns of the three-year-old cattle beasts which would have caused the animals to suffer unreasonable pain and distress.

The incident occurred on November 14, 2012.

The court heard how normally a vet would be called out to administer pain relief for the animals.  READ MORE