This article is from page 6 of the 2013-11-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
A WEST Clare farmer was ordered to sell all his livestock and sentenced to 10 months in prison after a district court judge heard “horrific evidence” of animal cruelty.
Judge Patrick Durcan said Patrick Shannon (60) of Carnaculla, Kilrush, had caused “great cruelty” to the cattle on his farm and the reputation of the agricultural industry.
He ordered that Mr Shannon’s herd of 75 cattle be disposed of within 28 days as he “did not want to cause and further suffering to these animals”.
The court heard that the married father of three had used an extreme form of strip grazing that left animals gnawing with the hunger.
Despite the intervention of the Department of Agriculture for more than a decade, the West Clare farmer could not see the error of his ways, the court was told.
Vincent Lambert, Veterinary surgeon and veterinary inspector with the Department of Agriculture gave examples of cows and calves held in “paddock” areas surrounded by electric fences with no feed, water, shelter, or comfortable place to lie, during a visit to the farm on November 1, 2012. He said the paddocks were bare and it was obvious that the animals had reached under the fence to access grass outside.
He also gave an example of nine weanlings in a cubical shed with no feed or water and the animals were very thin.
“Mr Shannon arrived and provided three bags of weathered grass mainly rushes. It has a very poor nutritional value,” said Mr Lambert. The vet said he had explained that he had seen animal cruelty and Mr Shannon agreed that it was as he described but saw nothing wrong with it. There were 122 bales of silage on the farm on that date. He returned the following day and found the fences extended slightly in some fields and feed for some animals but no water. “One animal was on its knees trying to reach outside of the fence and receiving electric shock from the fence,” he said. When Mr Lambert and his colleagues returned to the farm again in December 11, 2012, they found scenes of thin animals gnawing with the hunger, with some animals so undernourished that their growth was stunted. He told the court the “Mr Shannon does not accept animals should walk on what they eat and should eat under the fence. “Since 2003 we have dealt with Mr Shannon and this is the way he farms. Mr Shannon doesn’t see anything wrong with this.” Solicitor for the defence John Casey said that his client “genuinely cares about these animals but it is misguided”. He said that Mr Shannon has a fear of the animals grazing on grass on which they walk. “He believes if they eat wet grass it will make them cold from the inside out,” he said. “The worst penalty that could happen to him would be to have these animals taken from him. Yes it is his livelihood and income, but I feel the loss of these animals would have a severe impact on him.” Judge Durcan suspended the jail term for two years and set recognisance in case of appeal.