A Ryde farm owner has been fined £8,000 after an animal bottle-feeding activity at Hazelgrove Farm led to an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis that infected 264 people, more than half of them children.
Sharon Wheeler, 60, operated the petting zoo event at Hazelgrove Farm during April and May 2023, where visitors paid to bottle-feed lambs and goat kids. A joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found that more than 30% of attendees contracted cryptosporidiosis, a zoonotic illness caused by the parasite cryptosporidium.
The disease, which causes symptoms such as abdominal cramps, diarrhoea and nausea, can be particularly severe in children and those with weakened immune systems. Five percent of infected visitors required overnight hospital stays.
The investigation revealed serious failings at the farm, including:
- Inadequate hand washing and drying facilities, with reusable cloth towels used despite contamination risks
- Poor control of animal contact, with children observed kissing animals visibly contaminated with faecal matter
- A lack of clear safety information provided to visitors
- Failure to properly assess health risks to both the public and staff
Approximately 2,400 tickets were sold for the bottle-feeding activity between 4th April and 1st May 2023.
Many affected individuals experienced prolonged illness, with a total of 1,254 lost days from work and school due to illness or caring responsibilities. Several victims have reported lasting health problems, multiple hospital admissions, and psychological impacts such as fear for their children’s health and post-traumatic stress.
Summarising victim statements, District Judge Galloway said:
“There is no doubt that the events to which they refer are and were serious. The psychological toll experienced, and PTSD, the fact that the illness was life threatening, and the fear that a child affected would not recover.”
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Sharon Wheeler pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. She was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £9,528.35 and £3,200 in costs during a hearing at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Monday 11th November 202.
Following the hearing, HSE inspector Francesca Arnold said:
“It is extremely important that farmers understand the risks on their farm, and they should ensure that visitors are protected when inviting the public onto their farms.
“Health risks from contact with the animals need attention and must be controlled. If the zoonotic risks had been properly controlled this incident could have been avoided, but the failures during the animal feeding activity meant a large number of visitors became ill and some suffered lasting effects.
“As with most activities, visits to farms and farm attractions can never be considered free from risk. However, it is possible to reduce the levels of risk by implementing control measures and safe practices to ensure that workers and members of the public are not put at risk and still provide a valuable and enjoyable recreational and educational experience.”
Hazelgrove Farm was found to have breached key safety protocols. The HSE reminds all animal visitor attractions that they have a legal duty to assess zoonotic risks and implement suitable controls. Even small amounts of animal faeces or saliva can transmit infections such as cryptosporidium, especially when visitors engage in direct contact or bottle feeding.
This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyers Robert James and Kate Harney, and paralegal officer Stephen Grabe.
