Partner
Peter Cusick joined the firm in 1992 and is Head of Agriculture. He is a specialist in IACS/SPS litigation, EA/RPA cases, contract law, environmental and livestock law. He works exclusively for farmers, farming organisations, agri-businesses and horticultural clients.
Peter’s expertise includes contractual disputes, disputes with DEFRA, RPA and other public bodies, particularly within the context of IACS and non-IACS/Single payment scheme and Judicial Review cases often with a European dimension. He also deals with issues arising from animal welfare, Trading Standards and Health and Safety prosecutions.
In addition, Peter has a keen interest in Environmental Law and undertakes matters relating to pollution, Environmental Impact Assessment regulations, statutory nuisance, Abatement Notices and various waste related regulations.
Peter acted for the farmers whose livestock contracted Foot and Mouth Disease in 2007 (and the associated test cases), giving rise to the important decision of D Pride and Partners and Others v (1) Institute for Animal Health (2) Merial Animal Health Limited and (3) DEFRA.
Another important reported case was Beer v Hampshire County Council (2003), a landmark Court of Appeal decision on the Human Rights Act and an organisation's amenability to judicial review. Peter has been successful in a large number of cases involving the interpretation of UK and EU legislation arising both out of Judicial Reviews and the RPA's internal appeal procedure.
Before qualifying, Peter worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. He is a member of the Agricultural Law Association's Litigation Committee and contributes articles to specialist agricultural publications. Peter has frequently spoken on farming issues, including appearances on BBC television and radio.
