How We've Helped Our Clients

Agri-business 

• Setting up and ongoing responsibility for all legal/constitutional issues arising from joint venture agreements for the poultry and milk sectors
• A management buy out and linked re-structuring of agricultural machinery supply
• Structuring of marketing co-operatives
• Negotiating warehousing and transport services for a major operator
• Support for EU funding for organic farming
• Advice on renewable energy services and exploitation in the farming/food production business
• Advising directors on their duties and responsibilities and liabilities for breach in the event of a fatality in an outdoor processing operation 

Agri-environment

• The defence of two large waste disposal companies charged with waste transfer offences
• The defence of a large scale farming business charged with pollution offences
• Advising a multi national horticultural supplies business being investigated for product safety issues
• Advising a large scale rendering business on environmental permitting regulations

Agricultural Disputes

• R v SSEFRA ex parte Partridge Farms Limited - Case challenging the tabular system of valuation used by DEFRA to calculate compensation for cattle culled for TB
• R v SSEFRA ex parte Higher Burrow Farming Partnership - challenge to decision to cull cattle based on gamma interferon test
• R v DEFRA ex parte Persey - challenge to the Government's decision not to hold a public enquiry into FMD
• R V DEFRA ex parte Reakes - successful challenge to the DEFRA Organic Conversion Scheme
• R V DEFRA ex Parte Janes - successful challenge to DEFRA Sheep premium ringfence rules

Animal Welfare

• Providing advice to an internationally renowned animal behaviourist whose methods were questioned by the RSPCA
• Successfully defending farmers and hauliers involved in allegations of causing unnecessary suffering to livestock in transit and at market
• The successful defence of a hunt servant in the South of England that led to a change in both the CPS and ACPO guidance on covert surveillance

Food Standards

• Successfully representing all abattoirs involved in the 'Animal Aid' investigations
• Defending a prosecution for failure to comply with food hygiene regulations
• Defending farmers accused of assault or obstruction of inspectors
• Appealing the refusal to grant licences to slaughterhouse operators

Health & Safety

• Representing a large farming partnership involved in a high profile prosecution following a death on farm
• Representing the management company of a landed estate involved in an HSE investigation