A WICKLOW farmer whose cattle were described as looking like they were on a “cattle concentration camp”, was yesterday given a five-month prison sentence for animal cruelty and fined €10,200 at Trim District Court.
Judge John Coughlan said it was “an appalling case of animal cruelty”, and inquired if he had the power to disqualify the accused from keeping animals.
Séamus Kelly (38), of Harristown, Hollywood, Co Wicklow, pleaded guilty to four counts of leaving unburied carcasses on lands at Clongiffen, Longwood, Co Meath, on March 5th this year and two counts of cruelty to animals at the same location.
Department of Agriculture veterinary inspector Christopher O’Brien-Lynch said he had gone to the lands at Clongiffen after a member of the public complained. He found 10 cattle carcasses scattered throughout the lands and he believed they had been there for between a few days and several months. They could be seen from the public road and were accessible to dogs, he said.
There were 32 live cattle and, after his inspection, Mr O’Brien-Lynch believed he was dealing with a case of “abandonment”. He said nature had provided water on the land for the cattle but there was no grass and “absolutely no feed”.
“The cattle were wandering around and stepping over their dead comrades,” he said.
One animal was leaning against an empty feeder and clearly distressed, in pain, and close to death. “I could hear it groaning,” he said. He put the animal to sleep.
Another animal was “staggering and falling and in very, very poor condition” but was, he believed, still trying to survive. He did not put it down, and it has survived.
He concluded that the carcasses were of animals that had died, “probably from neglect, abandonment and starvation”. Through identification tags he was able to trace the herd owner to the defendant and he tried to contact him a number of times.
He carried out his inspection on a Friday, and arranged to get feed to the animals. Sometime over the weekend, however, “through circumstances I don’t understand”, said the inspector, the live animals were removed and taken in by a nearby farmer who was not identified in court. This farmer acted as a “Good Samaritan” and had, the judge was told, cared well for the remaining cattle.
The inspector said his assessment of what he found initially was: “it resembled a cattle concentration camp and they [the animals] were wandering aimlessly amongst their dead colleagues.” It was “sheer abandonment” and, in his 30 years of practice, “on the higher scale” of things he has seen.
Miriam Reagan, defending, said her client had had difficulty due to the very bad winter. He also had mental health issues and was unable to travel from Wicklow to the cattle.
She said he had asked the neighbouring “Good Samaritan” farmer to look after them.
The accused told the court he had rented the 70 acres in Meath in May last year and put 73 cattle on it. He said he gave the “Good Samaritan” farmer, whom he knew, 20 acres to use for silage “in lieu of looking after the animals for me”.
Judge Coughlan convicted Kelly on all six summonses, calling it “an appalling case of animal cruelty”. He imposed fines of €1,700 on all six summonses, and a five-month prison term.
However, he set appeal terms, and asked whether he had powers to disqualify Kelly from keeping animals, but was told he did not.
The judge also directed that Kelly pay €399 to the Meath Hunt, which removed the carcasses and properly disposed of them.