Abscesses on the carcasses of animals being processed in a meat export plant alerted the Department of Agriculture and Food to the use of banned hormone growth-promoters by a Meath farmer, Dunshaughlin Court heard yesterday.
The farmer, James McDermott (54), Blackhills, Kilmoon, Ashbourne, Co Meath, pleaded guilty yesterday to eight charges of possessing the hormone-treated animals and one of failing to keep a proper record of the movement of animals between April and July 2000.
McDermott, described as "a substantial farmer" by Mr Patrick MacEntee SC, defending, was given a six-month suspended prison sentence, fined a total of €11,427 plus €750 in costs and ordered to keep the peace for two years.
Mr Brian Flaherty, superintendent veterinary inspector with the Department of Agriculture, said that on April 3rd, 2000, one of its inspectors, Mr John Larkin, noticed abscesses on the rib cages of animals belonging to the defendant which had been processed at the plant.
Examination of the carcasses found needle marks, 3-4 inches deep. Subsequently it was established that one of the animals had been treated with anabolic steroids, a triple cocktail of banned drugs including one which was new to them.
On April 10th, 2000, McDermott submitted 11 more cattle for slaughter and, when tested, six were found to be positive.
Three months later, when animals from the defendant's farm were being slaughtered under permit, the cocktail of drugs was found again in one of the animals. One of the drugs used in the cocktail was Stanozonol, which was new to the investigators. In humans it can cause depression and damage to the immune system.
Mr Flaherty told Judge John Brophy that the abscesses had most likely been caused by injecting the animals with a dirty needle.
McDermott, he said, was a substantial farmer who sold 1,000 cattle a year and received €24,795 in EU subsidies last year.
Mr Flaherty said that on May 1st, 2000, he had examined McDermott's cattle register, which did not give details of animals which had been moved from the farm.
The defendant was arrested on January 11th, 2001, but had not been helpful in the investigation.
Mr MacEntee said his client was the father of four children.He farmed 350-360 acres in Co Meath and had a large herd of animals, only eight of which had been found to have been treated with drugs.
He was very ashamed of what he had done, he had let down his family and would never do anything like this in the future.
He had pleaded guilty and offered €750 towards the costs.
Ms Helen Callanan for the Department of Agriculture said €750 was much less than the cost of one of Mr McDermott's animals and the Minister for Agriculture viewed the failure to keep a proper herd register as a very serious offence.
Judge Brophy said he did not know what value it would be to society to send McDermott to prison and imposed the maximum fines on the nine summonses to which he had pleaded guilty.