The owner of a Kensington vegetarian restaurant, whose neglect led to the deaths of three cows at a Harrow farm, has been convicted of mistreating his animals and sentenced to community service.
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Khalid Undre, 50, of Kenton, who owned “animal-friendly” restaurant Down To Earth, kept a herd of cows in freezing conditions, with too little to eat and drink.
Pursuing a tip-off in January last year, Harrow Council Environmental Health Inspectors found Mr Undre’s cattle exposed in a field in sub-zero conditions. Many were underweight.
One of the cows lay dead in the heavy snow, having given birth without help. Another cow and its calf died later.
Undre pleaded not guilty but was convicted of five charges at Willesden Magistrates Court on 20 December. After pleading poverty, he was sentenced to 120 hours of community work, and ordered to contribute towards prosecution costs.
Mr Undre owned the Down To Earth restaurant on Kensington High Street, which calls itself “environmentally sound, sustainable and animal friendly” and claims to sell “sustainable and ethical organic lifestyle products”. A plate of scrambled eggs costs £7.50, while a “raw food” vegan terrine costs £8.50.
The restaurant website claims that “by-products from our kitchen go to feed the cows in our Harrow farm”.
Cllr Susan Hall, Leader of Harrow Council, said:
“This was an appalling offence of animal cruelty, made all the more grotesque by the cynical way in which this man paraded himself as a champion of ethical food standards.
“Our officers work extremely hard to prosecute these complex cases, and it is down to their hard work that these animals’ suffering is over, and their owner brought to justice.”
Mr Undre was found guilty of failing to dispose of animal carcasses without undue delay, and failing to provide ear tags for his calves, among other offences.
In pursuing the case, Harrow Council worked closely with authorities from Brent and the City of London along with the Rural Payments Agency and the community of Harrow Weald.
The orphaned calf found in January was saved and nursed back to health. It is now thriving at a petting farm in Sussex.
