to a barrister who�*s handled many animal abuse prosecutions. so that�*s hitting a cow with a shovel? yes, quite clearly, that would constitute an offence and we would prosecute something like that. it�*s basically an assault against the animal. it�*s quite a hard watch, that, actually, isn�*t it? it is. there�*s no good reason for kicking the animal while it�*s stricken. it�*s going to cause, especially to the stomach, some unnecessary suffering and pain. so a likely breach of the law? yes. a hip hoist is a valuable tool for a farmer to use to get a stricken cow back up on its feet. the circumstances in which it�*s been used here are quite inappropriate. is it likely to be something that might be prosecuted? potentially, yes. what�*s your overall view of what you�*ve seen? we�*ve got a, a number