A FATHER and son were fined €9,600 in a Co Monaghan court yesterday for breaches of Department of Agriculture regulations aimed at protecting the livestock industry from BSE, brucellosis, and bovine TB.
The charges related to the illicit movement of livestock across the Border, the switching of ear tags on animals and failure to produce records in respect of cattle herds.
Aidan McCooey snr (52), of Derrycreevy, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, pleaded guilty to a total of 16 charges at Carrickmacross District Court.
His son, Aidan McCooey jnr (26), also with an address at Derrycreevy, pleaded guilty to seven charges.
David Dodd, counsel for the Department of Agriculture, outlined the case for the prosecution which, it was stated, began with an investigation in 2007 into the illegal movement of cattle by the father and son.
The investigation, which was carried out in close co-operation with the Northern authorities, led to the discovery in the Republic of a number of illegal animals, including some from the North which were prohibited from export due to BSE risks and as a precaution against their entry into the food chain in the Republic.
John McConville, a veterinary inspector with the special investigations unit of the Department of Agriculture, told the court that during a number of visits, and in both day and night surveillance at premises used by the McCooeys, he discovered evidence of livestock tags being switched.
He said they had also obtained forensic evidence to confirm the switching of tags from animals which were illegally in the Republic.
The prosecution was contending that Aidan McCooey jnr purchased livestock in the North with the intention of swapping their identities in order to make them eligible for the food chain in the Republic. It was also claimed that a premises at Tullycollive, near the Monaghan-Armagh border, was used as a “base” for the illicit tag switching.
According to the prosecution, the illegal movement of animals from the North into the Republic carried huge risks for the agricultural industry, with increased risks of the entry of BSE, brucellosis, and bovine TB at a time when Ireland was applying for all-important brucellosis-free status in Europe.
According to the prosecution, the investigation showed widespread abuse and disregard for animal health regulations, resulting in “huge risks to animal health, public health and the taxpayer”.
Pleading on behalf of both father and son, solicitor Michelle Flanagan appealed to Judge Patrick Clyne not to impose prison sentences or harsh monetary penalties as the family was in a very difficult financial situation and was not even able to afford counsel in support of their defence in the case.
She asked the judge to take into account the fact that they had pleaded guilty in order to save the State the expense of a costly trial that might have continued over a number of days.
The two accused had “learned their lesson”, and had now all documentation in relation to herd records in order. To their credit, she said, they also recently secured a Bord Bia accreditation.
Judge Clyne accepted the importance of the early pleas being offered. He imposed fines of €500 on each of 14 charges against Aidan McCooey snr, marking two of the 16 charges “taken into account”.
He fined Aidan McCooey jnr a total of €2,600 in respect of four charges, with two others marked “taken into account”. He also ordered him to pay €400 expenses.