A FARMER has lost 10 cows after they ate poisonous Yew tree clippings which had been dumped in their field.

It was, said farmer Robert Janaway, an unfortunate incident, performed without malice, but which serves to highlight “the dangers of disposing of garden waste in fields” rather than taking it to the tip.

According to Mr Janaway, who is joint-owner of The Newlyns Farm Shop, Cafe and Cookery School at North Warnborough, he found five cows and four calves dead in the field on October 15 while a sixth cow had died later that night.

A mix of Herefords and Short Horns, the loss of the animals is significant, not least in terms of production. The cows were all in calf and the meat was due for the farm shop.

A family business, spanning four generations, the Janaways operate a traditional 500-acre mixed farm producing beef cattle, outdoor pigs, and sheep as well as growing cereal crops to support the related enterprises on the site.

The incident was first published on Facebook and has since gone viral, with shares running into the thousands in just a few hours.

The message is clear: “Farmers fields are not a dumping ground.”

Both the seeds and the leaves of a yew tree are poisonous and farm animals have been known to die after consuming just small amounts.