Department of Agriculture officials have arrived in Brest, western France, to investigate the deaths of seven cattle on board a livestock ship from Ireland on Tuesday night.
The seven animals were among a large number being transported on the MV Francoise, recently licensed by the Department to carry cattle from Ireland to the continent. The licence has been suspended pending the investigation.
The ship was carrying 10 truckloads of cattle on the Rosslare/Brest route when the incident took place, according to a statement from the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh. He said it appeared the animals had died when one of the trucks overturned during the voyage.
The Minister said the Francoise had undergone rigorous inspection before being approved to carry livestock and had satisfactorily completed several voyages. Mr Walsh said his Department would be conducting a thorough investigation into the incident.