A Carlow farmer today lost his appeal against a Department of Agriculture decision to seize and slaughter a herd of his sheep.
Mr James Kavanagh, whose farm is based at Myshall, Co Carlow, appealed the Department's decision at Bagnalstown District Court.
The order to slaughter Mr Kavanagh's 541 sheep, believed to be imported and lacking documentation or health certificates from England, was made under the 1994 Trade in Animals and Animal Products Act.
Agriculture Department spokesman, Mr Paul Savage, told ireland.comthe Department had "no foot-and-mouth concerns at all" with regard to the flock of sheep which was imported from the UK between October and January 2001 - a month before the outbreak of the disease.
If the Department had any reasonable cause regarding the disease, Mr Savage said, the order for the herd's destruction would have been taken under the 1966 Disease of Animals Act.
It is understood the Department's actions were taken in line with procedures concerning the illegal importation of animals.