A 55 year old Co Laois farmer was fined £12,000 and sentenced to three months imprisonment under animal drugs legislation at Portlaoise District Court yesterday.
Sean Conroy, of Dysart, Portlaoise, pleaded guilty to 24 summonses following inspections of his lands in 1992, 1993 and 1994. Some 20 of the summonses related to moving animals while under restrictive notices; three related to having clenbuterol; and a final summons related to obstructing Department of Agriculture investigators.
Seven other defendants were fined a total of £8,300 at a special sitting of the court arranged to deal with the backlog of cases involving illegal animal drugs.
Mr Gerry Purcell, a Department of Agriculture inspector, said he had visited lands owned or rented by Conroy on August 18th, 1992, and had taken meal samples. These had tested positive for clenbuterol. A restriction order was served on Conway, who is a substantial beef farmer.
Mr Declan Holmes, another inspector, said he had written to the defendant to say he intended to brand certain animals which had tested positive.
He went to look for the animals in January and was unable to find them. They had never found the animals and the defendant had refused to tell him where they were, which was an offence.
He again visited the farm on November 8th, 1993, and took samples from cattle which proved to be positive for clenbuterol. Another inspector found a glass bottle which contained an illegal substance.
He went to the farm again in January 1994, to brand the animals, but could only find two of the animals he was seeking.
Mr Pat Brangan, a Department veterinary surgeon, explained how clenbuterol made animals heavier. He told the court that the substance found in a bottle taken from the farm was a prohibited antibiotic. This antibiotic could be used as a growth promoter and was dangerous to public health.
Conroy admitted his motivation for the offences was profit but that any gain had been lost because of the BSE crisis. He undertook not to use these drugs again. His eldest son had been killed some time ago and his judgment might have been clouded at the time.
He told the judge the animals that had tested positive had been retagged and given permits by the Department of Agriculture and were slaughtered.
Recalled to the witness box, Mr Holmes denied this, but said tags had been issued for much younger animals found on the farm which did not have tags at the time of inspection.
Imposing sentence, Judge William G. Hamill said the victims of the defendant's actions were not just the people who had consumed the result of the defendant's greed, but also the country at large.
Richard Skeehan (34), of Tinaslatty, Ballyraggat, Co Kilkenny, was fined £3,000 when he admitted two charges of possessing hormone cocktails and two charges of administering them on April 28th, 1994. The judge adjourned sentence on one of the charges to March 3rd when he will decide whether to sentence Skeehan to 200 hours of community service or three months in prison.
The court was told Skeehan, married with one child, had a previous conviction in 1991 for having 3kg of pure clenbuterol. Pleading guilty, Skeehan said he had been "stupid" and would not use clenbuterol again.
Michael Condron (54), of Ratharrig, Athy, Co Kildare, was fined £750. He pleaded guilty to having clenbuterol in animal food in May 1992. His brother in law, Michael Murphy, Main Street, Ballylynan, Co Laois, was fined £250 for obstructing Department officials who had gone to inspect animals belonging to Condron.
Michael McCormack, Quinnsboro, Monasterevin, was fined £1,550 when he pleaded guilty to two summonses of having growth promoters at his farm on March 28th, 1994. The court heard he was a substantial beef farmer who was interested only in producing very high quality "U" grade beef. There was no evidence he had used the substances on animals.
Dennis Kealy (65), of Sentry Hill, Borris on Ossory, was fined £1,500 when he admitted administering clenbuterol on November 23rd, 1993, at his farm.
Kieran Coady, of Uskerty, was fined £750 for having clenbuterol found in an animal feed sample on his farm in September 1992.
Patrick Sheridan, of Emo Park, Portlaoise, who refused to hand over cattle identity cards to Department officials when a restriction order was placed on his herd, was fined £500.