Petition for Action: Investigation into Animal Welfare Failures at Fripps Farm
To:

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Trading Standards
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)
Local Council Animal Welfare Officers
Subject: Urgent Investigation into Animal Welfare Breaches and Failure to Act at Fripps Farm

 
Background
We, the undersigned, call upon DEFRA, Trading Standards, and the RSPCA to take immediate and transparent action regarding the ongoing welfare concerns at Fripps Farm, where over 200 animals are reportedly being kept on only 4 acres of land.

Evidence widely shared online, including by the individual responsible for the animals themselves, shows:

Overcrowding, with excessive numbers of animals confined in inadequate spaces.
Neglect and lack of veterinary attention, including reports of animals dying without explanation.
Exotic species kept in unsuitable conditions.
Cats (approximately 30) confined in a carport, with little to no enrichment, hygiene, or proper care.
Malnutrition and preventable deaths reportedly due to poor diet and lack of veterinary oversight.
Despite these repeated reports and mounting evidence, no meaningful enforcement action appears to have been taken.

 
Our Concerns
We are deeply concerned that the relevant authorities have failed in their statutory duties under UK Animal Welfare Law, specifically:

1. Animal Welfare Act 2006

Section 4: It is an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal.
Section 9: Owners and keepers have a duty of care to ensure the welfare of animals, including:

A suitable environment
A suitable diet
The ability to exhibit normal behaviour
Housing with, or apart from, other animals as appropriate
Protection from pain, suffering, injury, and disease
2. DEFRA’s Role
DEFRA oversees enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act and sets standards for licensing, welfare inspections, and animal husbandry. It must ensure that local authorities and partner agencies (including Trading Standards and the RSPCA) uphold these standards.

3. Trading Standards
Local Trading Standards departments are responsible for enforcing the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, including ensuring that licensed premises meet welfare requirements. Failure to investigate or act on credible complaints constitutes negligence of duty.

4. The RSPCA
As the UK’s leading animal welfare charity, the RSPCA has both a moral and operational responsibility to investigate credible welfare concerns. Where neglect, overcrowding, or animal deaths occur, the RSPCA should initiate or support prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act.

 
Our Requests
We demand:

A full independent investigation into the care, housing, and treatment of all animals at Fripps Farm.
Immediate veterinary inspections and disclosure of veterinary reports relating to the animals’ condition and causes of death.
Accountability from DEFRA, Trading Standards, and the RSPCA for their lack of timely intervention despite extensive public evidence.
Clarification on licensing status and animal capacity limits at the property.
Enforcement of appropriate rehoming, seizure, or suspension of licenses where welfare standards have been breached.
 
Conclusion
This is not a personal campaign against any individual, but a call for justice and accountability for animals suffering due to neglect and mismanagement. Attempts to frame concerned citizens as “twisting the narrative” are deliberate deflections from the central issue: the apparent failure to uphold UK animal welfare laws.

The public deserves transparency, and the animals deserve protection.

We call on DEFRA, Trading Standards, and the RSPCA to act now.