Two west Cork men who have been convicted in the courts of serious offences involving illegal movements of animals have been officially licensed by the Department of Agriculture to work as livestock agents, The Irish Times has learned.
While a Department spokesman refused to discuss individual cases because it was against Departmental policy, he did confirm documentation in the possession of The Irish Times that Mr Patrick Kelleher, Ashgrove House, Cork Road, Macroom, Co Cork, had been approved by the Department locally as a livestock agent as well as another man who is still being dealt with by the courts.
The Department of Agriculture said last night that it would be conducting a central review in the Department's headquarters in Dublin of the 700 agents and 210 livestock dealers it had licensed under the new legislation introduced on March 13th to curb the activities of rogue dealers.
Mr Kelleher, who pleaded guilty to 13 charges of illegally moving animals before they were blood-tested for brucellosis in 1998 and 1999, was given a 10-month suspended sentence at Clonakilty District Court last May for assaulting a Department of Agriculture official in May 1999.
He and his company had to pay a total of £22,000 in fines, expenses and costs, and the sentence was suspended on condition he paid £5,000 to the Department of Agriculture and £2,000 to the Garda Benevolent Fund.
Mr Kelleher, at the time of the offences, was one of Munster's biggest cattle-dealers, buying more than 20,000 cattle annually, mainly for the export market.
The second licensed agent recently pleaded guilty to attempting to obtain BSE compensation under false pretences and unlawfully moving an animal on to restricted lands in 1996. He is to be sentenced on March 4th next.
The Department of Agriculture spokesman said last night that the legislation to control cattle-dealers and agents had been introduced on March 13th last during the foot-and-mouth crisis.
"The Minister has very strong powers under the Act to deal with anyone who breaches the whole raft of legislation covering the animal remedies, animal welfare and disease of animals legislation," he said.
"However, it is not retrospective legislation and only applies to breaches of the Acts which took place after March 13th, 2001," he said.
"However, he does have the power to revoke or suspend any licence issued if he is of the belief that the agent or dealer is likely to breach the regulations," he said.
He added that the licences were issued locally, but a central review of the licence-holders would take place in the Department "very soon".
Livestock agents are allowed buy and sell animals but are not to own them or bring them to their own premises. They are known in the trade as "brassplate dealers".
Dealers, on the other hand, must have special premises and are allowed hold and own livestock under strict conditions.
The registration of dealers and agents was introduced during the foot-and-mouth crisis last year in an attempt to control the spread of the disease.