Moves have begun to revoke an official livestock agent's licence held by a 33-year-old Corkman who earlier this week received a suspended prison sentence arising out of an attempt to introduce a BSE infected animal into a herd to claim compensation.
Andrew Wilson, Kilpatrick, Bandon, was described as a "passenger" in a plot involving his father, Bryan (60), to introduce the infected animal into a healthy herd owned by James Sutton, Kilgariffe, in September 1996.
The father and son had pleaded guilty to a series of charges arising out of the attempt. Andrew Wilson admitted attempting to obtain BSE compensation under false pretenses and unlawfully moving an animal on to restricted lands.
The court had heard that Sutton owed the Wilsons money and was unable to pay and the ploy was designed to win compensation estimated at £75,000.
Judge Moran, who had sentenced Bryan Wilson to two years in prison suspending one year of the term, also sentenced the son Andrew to two years' imprisonment. However, he suspended all of this sentence on the grounds that Andrew Wilson had no previous convictions for similar offences and he was a young man with a young wife and a young son, and his small farm could not run without him.
In the middle of last year, Andrew Wilson was awarded a Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development livestock agent's licence under the new system introduced during the foot- and-mouth crisis to control cattle dealers and cattle agents. Following complaints about the issue to The Irish Times, the Department confirmed that Wilson did receive a licence which was issued locally by the Department to him.
However, it promised an urgent review of all cattle dealer and livestock agent holders at Department headquarters in Dublin and this is now ongoing
Despite a refusal to comment on individual cases, sources confirmed that a letter seeking to revoke Andrew Wilson's agent's licence was issued within the last week. The Department is understood to be alleging that Wilson has breached the terms of his agent's licence by contravening the animal movement regulations since the licence was issued last July. An appeals procedure exists to allow the agent or dealer fight an attempt to revoke a licence.