ANGRY allotment holders say they have been left with no choice but to kill their cockerels after Barnsley Council issued notices telling owners to get rid.
A row emerged at the allotments on Shaw Lane, Barnsley, earlier this week when the birds’ owners were slapped with warnings about keeping them on their plots, which the council says is not permitted.
Other birds such as hens, geese and ducks are allowed - but cockerels are banned and allotment holders were told to remove the birds by yesterday’s deadline.
But 76-year-old Arnold Cook, who had five cockerels, told the Chronicle he has kept them on his plot for more than 40 years - without any enforcement from the council - and has been left with no choice but to kill them.
“I’m livid with the council as they are nit-picking when there’s absolutely no need to,” Arnold said. “They are killjoys - a lot of us are retired and we enjoy keeping them as it’s part of the fun of having an allotment and the whole grow-your-own ethos.
“It’s upsetting as no-one wants to take them in, so what else can we do but kill them? I have been forced into that awful decision by the council as they do not seem to understand the difficulty with finding a cockerel a new home.
“The way they have gone about it is all wrong - we have nobody to turn to. I was a slaughterman so I haven’t been as affected by it as badly as others but it’s just not fair killing animals we have grown to love.
“It’s like we have been the first to be targeted and the rest of Barnsley’s allotments will go next.”
Allotment holders told the Chronicle long-lens cameras have been used by council officers to snoop on the birds, and that nobody from the council gave warnings before the notices were dished out.
“There must be more than two dozen cockerels on the site and although we have had a few noise complaints in the past, we are not aware of any in this case,” Arnold added. “I’ve never been told to get rid of mine in the 40-odd years I’ve been at Shaw Lane.”
One allotment holder, who did not wish to be named, blasted the council for their lack of understanding on the issue.
“Cockerels are so difficult to pass on for someone else to look after.
“It’s not as easy as you would think, so that’s why people have been left with little choice but to kill them.
“That will seem cruel to people who aren’t familiar with keeping them and it will give us a bad name, but we have been forced into it so it’s the council who has blood on their hands.
“It’s completely unnecessary. They can be noisy, everyone knows that, but when there’s been any issues with noise in the past we have stepped in and taken action to address the problem.
“Nobody on this allotment knows why the council’s suddenly taken a hard stance on us keeping them. It’s come completely out of the blue so if they are wanting us to have no cockerels, they should be responsible for taking them away.
“It’s been a horrible week and I blame the council for it.”
Barnsley Council reiterated its stance on cockerels being banned when contacted by the Chronicle.
A spokesman said: “A number of cockerels were found at Shaw Lane allotments in a routine inspection by Groundwork, who manage the site on behalf of the council.
“Notices have been issued in line with allotment guidelines of what you can and can’t keep on site.”
