Andrew Brightmore, of Holme Stud Farm, was also hit with an eight-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months, ordered to do 150 hours of community service and fined more than £4,500 by Doncaster Magistrates Court on Monday.

In one instance, the court heard, Brightmore had caused unnecessary suffering to a heifer by failing to humanely destroy it as required. A vet from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) had to destroy the animal three days later.

Brightmore admitted a total of nine charges relating to livestock, including animal passports, ear-tagging, keeping medical records and illegaly moving 92 cattle.

But Martin Hurst, defending, said the cruelty was not deliberate, but Brightmore had spread himself too thinly and neglected to properly care for the animals.

He added that many other animals in his care had been properly looked-after during the period of time in question, between March and September last year. He said Brightmore took responsibility for two of his empoyees who were 'not up to the job'.

Brightmore admitted part of the problem was that he was not good at paperwork.

But district judge John Foster said the defendant had shown a 'total disregard' for regulations put in place for a very good reason, and as a farmer he should have realised that.

He added that Brightmore had not admitted the cruelty charges at an early stage and sought to blame his employees, but chose to suspend his prison sentence.

Michelle Stuart-Lofthouse, counsel for Rotherham Council, said the offences were spotted during numerous Animal Health Inspector visits to Brightmore's premises.

They found he had failed to disclose movements of livestock, apply ID tags on a calf, produce a cattle passport or keep proper record of vet products administered to his animals.

It was said he worked six-and-a-half days a week and realised he could not properly care for his animals and so had sold them.

For each of the two cruelty offences, Brightmore was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison to run consecutively. And for illigally moving livestock he was given six weeks to run concurrently.

He was given one week concurrently for each of the remaining offences and can not challenge the livestock ban for five years.

Finally, he has to pay all of a £4,572.39 fine in three months.