JAMES Magee (46), married with four children, from Porlick, Glasson, Athlone, a farmer who is also a company director, was fined £6,000 when he pleaded guilty to six of 12 animal hormone summonses against him.
Mr Kevin Galligan, of the Department of Agriculture, said he was part of a team which raided Magee's farm on September 20th, 1993. He found a hormone implant gun and cartridges.
The defendant was also the director of a non agricultural company, Athlone Extrusions Ltd. His solicitor, Mr Patrick Groarke, said there was no evidence that any of the substances were used on the animals. The gun had been on the farm since hormones were legal in the 1980s.
Judge Mary Fahy said there was a large question mark about the ill effects of such substances on a very good product, Irish beef. She said consumers were entitled to know what they were buying.
Everyone in the court was a consumer and she took a very serious view of anyone who would jeopardise the beef industry, which was very important to this country.
Fines of £2,000 were imposed on Seamus McHugh (47) Whitepark, Curraghboy, Co Roscommon, who pleaded guilty to two summonses for administering illegal drugs to animals between December 19th, 1993, and January 20th, 1994.
Mr Groarke, who also appeared for him, said McHugh had arranged an independent test of the animals, which proved negative, five weeks after the Department raid.
He said the defendant was married with four children aged between 12 and 20. He had never been in trouble before.
He said that, apart from the fine, McHugh would have to bear the loss of five animals because they had been branded when tested positive by the Department and could not enter the human food chain.
Judge Fahy said one shuddered to think that if the Department had not discovered McHugh's antics, the animals would be in the food chain.
She said he was not exactly poverty stricken and his involvement with the illegal substances was due to greed.
Had he not pleaded guilty, she would have sent him to prison.
Enda McHugh (40), Lyserfield, Curraghboy, Co Roscommon, a brother of the previous defendant, pleaded guilty to three summonses. The court was told animals on his land had tested positive for clenbuterol.
He admitted owning the animals, which were later branded by the Department.
He had three children aged nine, eight and four.
Judge Fahy said the court took account of the fact that he was a brother of the previous defendant.
"It is somewhat sinister to think these two brothers were engaged in this type of conduct, side by side, so to speak." She fined him £1,000 on each summons.
Martin Hogan (39), Kylebeg Borrisokane, Co Tipperary, was fined £6,000 when he admitted six charges of administering clenbuterol on April 11th, 1995.
A Department inspector, Mr Gerry Purcell, said he led an inspection of the defendant's firm. Urine samples from animals proved positive.
Judge Fahy was told he was a substantial farmer with 130 acres. He had six children, all under 11. He had never been in trouble before.
Imposing the fines, Judge Fahy said his actions must have been "greed driven" because she had no indication of any other reason for them.
She was certain that many farmers, on hearing of the proceedings, would regard the farmers before the court as a disgrace to their profession. They were bringing the industry into disrepute.