30/07/2026
Official Statement from Shukers Farm Shop Ltd
Shukers Farm Shop Ltd would like to issue the following official statement to provide clarity following recent advice.
Shukers Farm Shop Ltd is owned by Mr Andrew Shuker, Mrs Debra Shuker, and Mr Luke Shuker. We run our farm shop from these premises aswel as raise our own livestock here in weston coyney.
Our site also hosts several independent businesses who rent their premises from us, including the veterinary practice, the dog groomers, the salon, k9 fertility clinc and the café. These businesses are independently operated and are not involved in our internal family matters.
Unfortunately, we now find ourselves having to publicly address long‑standing private family disputes involving Mr Matthew Shuker and Mrs Courtney Shuker, who previously operated Shukers Pet & Animal Feeds from our site.
Over five years ago, a serious family disagreement—resulted in a complete breakdown in family relationships between Mathew/ Courney shuker and other members of the family.
As a direct result of this breakdown, we have not visited Westwood Farm in Leek since before this argument took place. So we would have no knowledge of the state and condition of the animals at this address.
Due to the nature of the dispute and legal limitations at the time, we were unable to remove the pet feed business from our site despite ongoing difficulties.
In recent months, we have become aware of public speculation and rumours relating to The Shukers of Westwood Farm, Leek.
We wish to make it absolutely clear that although we had heard rumours over the years and questioned the individuals involved, we were repeatedly assured that no wrong doing had occurred and that the rumours were misunderstandings.
We were not informed of the truth, nor were we aware of the severity of the crimes or of the court hearing date until the news article was published yesterday. The family rift has resulted in limited if any meaningful communication between mathew/ Courtney shuker and the other family members.
Our knowledge of the details of the crimes is limited to that which is now reported. We have had no involvement whatsoever in any activities at Westwood Farm.
While we would have preferred to act sooner , with denials of any wrong doing by Matthew and Courtney we had no reason to evict them from the unit occupied by them.
We would also like to remind the public that the other businesses operating on our site are small, local, independently run enterprises. They have no connection to the events in Leek. Please do not direct negativity or blame toward them—they, like us, have worked extremely hard to build their businesses and are now facing unfair consequences.
We are deeply upset and appalled by the events reported at Westwood Farm in Leek.Animal welfare has and always will be a priority for us.
Our own farm remains open, and we welcome visitors who wish to meet our animals and see first and how we operate.
We understand that people will form their own opinions, but we felt it important to share our side.
To protect the mental health and wellbeing of our family, our staff, and the independent businesses on our site, we will be turning off commenting on this post. This is not to silence anyone, but to prevent further distress during an already difficult time.
Thank you for taking the time to read our statement.
The Shukers Farm Shop Family
